Fort Thomas or St. Thomas Fort or Fortaleza de São Tomé, also known as Tangasseri Fort, is a ruined

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

located in the beach town of Tangasseri on the shores 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 ...

in the city of

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

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. It is located around from the city center of

and from the state capital

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

History

Tangasseri was associated with the Chinese trade from the first millennium AD and later colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

to become the "gold village". According to Historians, Captain Rodriguez came to Quilon and was appointed as the captain of the

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

and trade, with permission from the queen. St.Thomas Fort (once known as Fortaleza de São Tomé) was built by the Portuguese under

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa ( – 16 December 1515), was a Portuguese general, admiral, statesman and ''conquistador''. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across ...

for the protection of the newly developed trade. In 1505 the Portuguese established a trading port here, and in 1518 established its sovereignty through the construction of Fort St. Thomas. Later in 1661 the town and the fort were handed over to the Dutch who made it the capital of Dutch Malabar. The Dutch occupied the fort for several years. In 1795, the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

took possession of the fort. In 1823 Fort St. Thomas accepted a lease by

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

from the British government for a period of twenty years. Fort St. Thomas was originally around tall. Today, the little remains of the fort, popularly known as "Tangasseri fort" remain facing the beach. At present, the fort is managed by the

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 Alexander ...

(ASI).

Gallery

Thangassery Fort Right view.jpeg, Old – St.Thomas Fort – Right-view Thangassery Fort Kollam2.jpg, Right View Thangassery Fort Kollam1.jpg, Renovated St.Thomas Fort – Front-view Thangassery Fort Kollam - DSC03142.jpg, Back Side Entrance Thangassery Fort Kollam - DSC03149.jpg, Inside View Thangassery Fort Kollam - DSC03144.jpg, Main Wall Thangassery Fort Kollam - DSC03145.jpg, The Windows

References

External links

"Mining rampant at Tangasseri fort"

{{Kollam district Forts in Kerala Portuguese forts in India Buildings and structures in Kollam History of Kollam Colonial Kerala Dutch India Portuguese in Kerala Kingdom of Travancore 16th-century forts in India 1510s establishments in Portuguese India 1518 establishments in India Cities and towns in Kollam district Tourist attractions in Kollam Archaeological sites in Kerala Portuguese colonial architecture in India Monuments of National Importance in Kerala