Bekal, situated on the seashore of Pallikara village, is an important place of tourist interest in the district. It lies 12 km south of
Kasargod town. Bekal Fort, the largest and best preserved fort in the state. The alluring scene of the sea shore and its exhilarating natural scenery and beauty attracts the visitors. Fast emerging as an International tourist centre.
It was usual in older days for every royal palace to be protected by a fort. The Bekal for might have, therefore, existed even from early days of the Chirakkal Rajas. While giving a description of the Kolathiri Kingdom in his Kerala History, K.P. Padmanabha Menon writes; “The eldest of the male members reigned as sovereign Kolathiri. The next in succession, the heir apparent, was the Thekkelamkur. The residence assigned to him was the Vadakara fort. The third in succession was the Vadakkelamkur in charge of Vekkolath fort. This V(B)ekkolath fort is identified by some scholars as the present Bekal”.
H.A.Stuart, in his Handbook of South Canara (1985), makes this observation: “Several forts were built by the Shivappa Nayaks of Badnore between 1650 and 1670 A.D. The two forts of Bekal and Chandragiri were originally under the Kolathiri or Chirakkal Rajas until the time of Shivappa Nayaka’s invasion. Perhaps, the Bednore rulers might have rebuilt and improved it”.
According to the South Canara Manual, Bekal fort fell into the hands of Haider Ali in 1763. It housed the Huzur of Canara during Tipu’s time and the remains of a gallow reminiscent of the days of Mysorean occupation were seen here till a few years back. After the overthrow of Tipu Sultan in 1799, Bekal was incorporated into the dominions of the English East India Company. The erstwhile Kasargod
Taluk of South Canara district was known as Bekal for more than half a century. The Bekal fort is now under the Archeological Department of the Government of India.
There is a Travelers’ Bungalow, maintained by the PUBLIC Works Department of the State Government within the Bekal fort. The natural scenery at Bekal is alluring and makes a visit to the place an exhilarating experience. There is a recently renovated temple dedicated to Hanuman, at the entrance to Bekal. An old mosque is also situated very near the fort and this is believed to have been founded by Tipu Sultan. |
