Palakkad Fort is an old fort situated in the heart of
Palakkad
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
city of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
state, southern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It was recaptured and rebuilt grandly by
Sultan Hyder Ali in 1766 A.D and remains one of the best-preserved forts in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.
History
The Palakkad Fort is said to have existed from very ancient times but believed to be constructed in the present form in 1766 A.D, but little is known of its early history. The local ruler,
'' Palakkad Achchan'', was originally a tributary of the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...
but had become independent before the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1757 he sent a deputation to
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
seeking help against an invasion threatened by the Zamorin.
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
seized upon the opportunity to gain possession of a strategically important location such as
Palghat
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
and from that time until 1790 the fort was continually in the hands of the Mysore Sultans or the British. It was first taken by the latter in 1768 when Colonel Wood captured it during his raid on
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
's fortresses, but it was retaken by Hyder a few months later. It was recaptured by Colonel Fullarton in 1783, after a siege that lasted eleven days but was abandoned the following year. It later fell into the hands of the
Zamorin
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...
's troops. In 1790 it was finally captured by the British under Colonel Stuart. It was renovated and was used as a base for operations that ended with the storming of
Srirangapatnam. The fort continued to be garrisoned until the middle of the 19th century. In the early 1900s, it was converted into a
taluk
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
office.
[Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 19, p. 359.]
Current status
There is a large ground between the Fort and the Palakkad Townhall, known as ''
Kota Maidanam
Fort Maidan, also known as Kota Maidanam, is a multi-use stadium in Palakkad, India. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches. The Fort Maidan holds a maximum capacity of 10,000 peoples at a time.
Up till 2002 the ground was considered ...
'' (Fort Maidan/Fort Grounds). The ground is now used to stage cricket matches, exhibitions, and public meetings. An open-air
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
called ''"Rappadi"'', currently under the preservation of the
Archeological Survey of India, is also located within the spacious grounds of the Fort. Additionally, there is a children's park on one side of the Fort.This children's park is known by the name "Vatika" , which has a beautiful garden alongside outdoor playground equipments for kids.
Interior
The Palakkad Special Sub Jail is also located within the fort. There is a small shrine dedicated to Lord Hanuman known as ''Anjaneya Swamy temple'', The temple is situated on the Eastern entrance of the fort,
Figure Anjaneya is carved on the inner side of the fort wall. The murti of Lord Anjaneya is south facing, while the lord himself is facing west.
It is believed that Tipu and his warriors worshipped the lord to protect them from all enemies.
A garden called ''Vatika-Shilavatika'' is maintained inside the court.
Satellite image of the fort
Satellite image of the fort
See also
*
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...
*
Zamorin of Calicut
The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...
Image gallery
File: Khasakinte Ithihasam of O.V.Vijayan in stones at the Palakkad Fort.jpg, O.V.Vijayan Characters
File: Palakkad Fort 9.jpg, Mango Tree
File: Palakkad Fort 1.jpg, inside the fort
File: Palakkad Fort 3.jpg, View from the bridge
File: Palakkad Fort3.jpg, Skiing space
File: Palakkad Fort in Kerala.jpg, Inuksuk
An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) or inukshuk (from the iu, ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ; alternatively in Inuinnaqtun, in Iñupiaq, in Greenlandic) is a type of stone landmark or cairn built by, and for the use of, Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Yupi ...
from V.K.Rajan, Thrissur
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO6JWIjp2dQLIHBa4Oz_S8c1vL53N6EBxA0wiFg dileepthenur
References
External links
Palakkad Fort Official Website
{{coord, 10.7676, 76.6614, type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink, display=title
Forts in Kerala
Archaeological sites in Kerala
Palakkad
Buildings and structures in Palakkad district
1766 establishments in India
Mysorean invasion of Malabar