Bekal is small town on the eastern shore of Kerala state of South India having a giant keyhole shaped fort, the golden expanse of a beautiful beach surrounding the fort, backwaters and hill destinations and water sport facilities nearby. Bakel Fort by the sea shore, has a great historic story to tell. Bekal Fort, the largest and the best-preserved fort in Kerala, lies 16 Kms south of Kasaragod on the national highway at the northern tip of the state. The fort about 130 ft above sea level, stands on a 35 acres of land.
This fort is more than 300 years old and is believed to have been built in the 1650's by Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri dynasty. The fort with its zigzag entrance, strategically designed openings on the outer walls for defense and trenches around, has no palaces inside and was probably build just for Defence purposes. The Bekal beach is also an attractive one.
An important features of this fort are the water-tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading to the Observation Tower which is a rarity. The holes at top of the Fort were meant for aiming at the enemy who is far away. The holes which are below are meant for striking when the enemy is nearer. The holes underneath is for attacking when the enemy was very near to the fort. This is remarkable evidence of strategical technology in defence.
Bekal was an important military station of Tipu Sultan at the time when he led the great military expedition to capture the Malabar region. The coins and weapons unearthed here are strong evidence of the influence of Mysore Sulthans in the Fort. The fort became under control of the British East India Company after the death of Tipu sultan in Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
Today Bekal Fort is a special tourism area as declared by the Government in 1992. A beautiful walkway has been constructed for the tourists to explore the beauty of the fine coastline and enjoy the panoramic view of the Bekal Fort. The beach is beautifully illuminated during the night so that tourists can spend more time in the beach after the sunset.
