Palakkad Fort
The Fort in Palakkad, Kerala is right in the center of the city. It seems this fort was constructed by Hyder Ali (Father of Tippu Sultan), and it was intended to connect Mysore rulers with the North Kerala/ Western TN regions.
This is one shot taken from outside (near the entrance). As you can see, there is water all around this huge fort, which is supposed to keep enemies at bay. Maybe they had crocodiles in the water, back then.
It seems this fort existed before Hyder Ali, but was re-built with a strong fortification by Hyder Ali to protect the interests of the Mysore Kingdom in this strategic area. From there on, this fort has changed hands between Mysore rulers and the British, many times till at last it was annexed in to the Madras East India Company by the British after they defeated Tippu Sultan in Srirangapatna.
The defense fortification from inside looks very impressive. There are circular structures of rectangular shaped openings, from which the soldiers could view outside and perhaps attack the enemy. These circular structures are present all around the Fort and there are at least eight of them that I saw along the long boundary of the Fort, which makes the walk around the Fort a rather tedious one!
Inside the Fort, I saw a HUGE tree (perhaps very old) that looked very impressive. To understand its real size, look at the size of the people on the left hand side!
These days the Fort is being used to house Government Offices, Temple, Police Station and even a Sub-jail. One of the offices inside the Fort is shown below – it has the typical Kerala style roof with many tiles. Many houses are still constructed in this style in Kerala.
There is a Pillared Hall, which was constructed during the time of Hyder Ali. This pillared hall has been renovated and maintained now by the Archaeological Society of India.
Inside this hall, there is a small museum with some statues/ stone carvings on pillars dating back a long time. There is also a brief history of the fort and photos of other forts/ similar monuments across India. If you go to Palakkad, this Fort might be a good place to visit as it is relatively intact and did not sustain much damages during the course of history.
You can see many more photos taken by me in Palakkad Fort, in the below embedded video slide show (Youtube, 2 min: 56 sec)
Destination Infinity
wow you lucky you get to visit all these places and we get to see only in pics…
lovely pics Keep showing cause the day i land in india I am going ot head over to you and then make sure you show me around all these places .. and you cant excuse urself cause i have proof that you know where all these places are ha ha ha hahaa
🙂
When you plan to come to India, do let me know in advance so that I can plan a trip to UK … 🙂
Destination Infinity
Nice travelogue 😀
You seem to have been to a lot of scenic spots 😛
Yeah, I have been to quite a number of picnic spots in the last six months. Before that, I used to travel too, as a part of my job. But you know what, I hate traveling! My idea of fun is to happily sleep at home!! 🙂 But what to do, both my vocation and hobby are like that 😛
Destination Infinity
I have started pestering my husband to take me to Coimbatore and visit the places you are showing here!
Beautiful fort and the pictures are very good!
Many people in Coimbatore are not aware of the tourist spots around this area… But by the time you come here, I would have shifted to Chennai!
Destination Infinity
Sheesh!! I’ve never been here 😐 Where exactly is this???
Love forts like these!!
In the center of the city. If you are in Palakkad again, just ask for Palakkad Fort….
Destination Infinity
nice photo
Thank you.
Destination Infinity
oh, ho! Decided?
Yes. I am moving this month end, or perhaps earlier – depends on the next occupant here! After I come to Chennai, I will come and meet you.
Destination Infinity
Your space is aptly titled ‘Destination Infinity’ 🙂
Destination Infinity came before many years – the blog is just finding its destination now 🙂
Destination Infinity
DI, these are some of your best pictures. Good going!
Thanks for your encouragement, Nita 🙂
Destination Infinity
The pictures are really inviting DI 🙂 Wonderful fort… surely lot of thoughts were put in while building this fort 🙂
Very nice 🙂
It seems this fort existed before Hyder Ali too…. but he renovated it and made it strong. Should have been a difficult task, somehow they brought all those big stones and made it…
Destination Infinity
wow! such a nice fort and look how thoughtful they were in those days, I mean surrounding it with water and leaving crocodiles in them, to prevent enemies.. even those circular structures probably were to hinder the enemies.. will definitely visit this place when I am in TN next time.. what about the gate or entrance to the fort? How was that done?
This is in Kerala. I have the photo of the entrance too…. but have not published it, as too many people were in that frame.
Destination Infinity
nice structures of fort! You have captured these very well Rajesh! And the brief history that goes along with Pictures are very handy!
This is the best kept fort I have seen till now – that’s why the pictures came out well 🙂
Destination Infinity
Thank you for sharing.. Good post.. keep updated..:)