We went for a friend’s wedding to Payyanur, Kerala in June 2015. Having travelled from Chennai to North Kerala for the first time, my wandering mind was wondering where to go in the short span of time that we had to explore in between the wedding celebrations.
Obvious choice: The Bekal Fort.
Nearest Railway Stations: Kanhangad / Kasargod
We took a car from Payyanur and reached this place in about an hour and a half covering 45 kms.
My Travel Month: June 2015
Fort Timings: 0830-1730 hrs
Entry Fee: Rs.5 per person for Indians and SAARC nationals and Rs.100 per person for foreign nationals
Parking: There is ample car parking space before you enter the fort.
I must say that the time we visited this fort was just perfect. We drove through decent roads, stopped for cutting chais (black tea) with drizzles accompanying us all along the way.
This is one of the largest forts in Kerala and is well maintained which makes walking a pleasure. If you’ve watched Bombay, the very famous Mani Ratnam movie, you’d have set your eyes on this already! You need to walk a bit to cover the entire fort but it is worth the effort.
Once you climb the rampart, the view will just take your breath away. All you can see around is the Arabian Sea – called the Bekal Fort Beach. With chill breeze and drizzles the whole time, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
The story about the fort goes like this: The locals explain that this fort is atleast 300 years old and was used to store arms and ammunition. Tipu Sultan (Mysore King), the British have all used this fort for defense purposes. Since there is no palace around this fort (like most other forts), this could have been built as a port and/or for other observation purposes. There is a small Hanuman Temple and a mosque in the fort which clearly shows how all religions existed in harmony those days.
Greenery and the sea around you – that definitely is a place you must visit. Spend some some time in the beach if you can and let me know how your experience was 🙂