Chandragiri Fort (''

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

'': ചന്ദ്രഗിരിക്കോട്ട ) is a fort built in the 17th century, situated in

Kasaragod District Kasaragod ( (, , ; English: ''Kassergode'') is one of the 14 districts in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Its northern border Thalappady is located just 9 km south to Ullal, which is the southernmost portion of the major port city ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. This large squarish fort is above sea level and occupies an area of about seven acres the adjacent to Chandragiri river. The fort is now in ruins.

Geography

Chandragiri Fort was built in the confluence of the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

and the Chandragiri River, also known as the Payaswini river. The fort is located about 59 kilometers south of

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

and 87 kilometers north of

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

History

The Chandragiri River marked the boundary between the Tulanadu and the Kolathanadu Kingdoms. Both kingdoms would eventually be conquered by the Vijaynagara Empire, and the region came under their control. Upon the fall of the Vijaynagara Empire, the Keladi Nayakas, who had administered the region for the Vijaynagara Empire, declared independence and took control of many regions of

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a fifth largest district in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to ...

, including the area the fort would later be built. Chandragiri Fort was built in the 17th century by Shivappa Nayak, alongside a chain of other fortresses. As of today, the fort is managed by the

Kerala State Department of Archaeology Kerala State Department of Archaeology is the archaeology department of the Government of Kerala. It had its origins in the Travancore State Archaeology Department which was started in December 1891. It forms a part of the Ministry of Culture ...

, with assistance from the Department of Tourism. The Department of Archeology conducted an excavation and uncovered

cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

s made of stone and iron, iron tools, and pottery.

Layout

The found boundary area is approximately 7.76 acres, while the building is roughly 5 acres and of a square shape. The fort is 46 meters (150) feet above sea level, and composed of

laterite Laterite is a soil 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 intensive and prolo ...

bricks. Some of the walls were damaged by

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

fire. A trench surrounds the fort from three directions. On the Eastern and Western direction, both have entrances leading into the trench. On the North-Eastern corner, an underground tunnel is also visible. The fort contains 8 bastions, each with cannon (peeranky) holes. The main bastion is located on the North. Other buildings, such as barracks, are also within the fort. *

Image gallery

File:Chandragiri Fort, Kerala.jpg, Chandrigiri Fort Melparamba, is 6 Kilometers away from Kasaragod town File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 02.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 03.jpg, Chandragiri Fort entrance File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 04.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 05.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 06.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 07.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 08.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 10.jpg, Chandragiri Fort File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 11.jpg, Chandragiri Fort File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 13.jpg, Chandragiri Fort File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 15.jpg, Chandragiri Fort File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 18.jpg, Chandragiri Fort renovation works 2019 File:CHANDRAGIRI FORT KASARAGOD S-KL-25 TPR 19.jpg, Chandragiri Fort

References

External links