Tellicherry Fort is in

Thalassery Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karna ...

(Tellicherry) a town in Kannur District 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 in south

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 ...

. Thalassery was one of the most important European trading centers of Kerala. The Fort lies on the group of low wooden hill running down to sea and protected by natural waters. It has been the main opening for the rich spices, hill products and timber of the vast inter-land. The French came first to Tellicherry for trading, they got a strong grip at Mahé, Puducherry, 5 km south of Tellicherry town. Towards end of the 17th century the British opened a factory north of Tellicherry. Later they obtained a site from Vadakkelamkur, the de facto ruler of

Kolathunad Kolattunādu (Kola Swarupam, as Kingdom of Cannanore in foreign accounts, Chirakkal (Chericul) in later times) was one of the four most powerful kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival of the Portuguese Armadas in India, along with Za ...

and established a factory at Tellicherry in 1708. But the Udayamangalam branch of Kolathiri family and Korangoth Nair, the local chieftain resented this action and they attacked and caused serious damage to English property. In order to safe guard their trade activities with the support of the Kolathiri Raja they build a fort around the out laying hills of Tellicherry. The French occupation of Mahé, Puducherry in 1725 compelled the British Company to strengthen the fortification to establish a stronghold on the

Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...

. In 1736, the British took the possession of Dharmadam Island. The British sustained strong military establishment at Tellicherry, from 1776 to 1784. In 1781

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 ...

, ruler of the

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 ...

, was unsuccessful in capturing the Fort in his campaign to control Malabar. His successor,

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...

, was forced to cede

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

to the British in 1792, at the conclusion of the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the English East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha te ...

. The Tellicherry fort over looking the sea, raises to height of 10m and it is oblong on pian. It was built out of

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

blocks with high round holed walls and strong flanking bastions. The small redoubts on most of the out playing hills have long since disappeared, but Tellicherry fort is in fair state of preservation. The square fort, with its massive walls, strong flanking bastions, secret

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, is an imposing structure. A light house marks the site of an old redoubt. The fort was once the nucleus of Thalassery's development. Tellicherry was also famous for the cricket match played between the Europeans and local teams in the town near the seashore, which used to attract enormous crowds during those days. This is a centrally protected monument under the control of

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

since 1921.

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1708 establishments in the British Empire Forts in Kerala Mysorean invasion of Malabar Tourist attractions in Kannur district Archaeological sites in Kerala Buildings and structures in Thalassery Monuments of National Importance in Kerala Star forts {{india-struct-stub

See also

References

External links