PALLIPPURAM FORT (1503 AD)
The Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to connect with India.
In 1503, the Portuguese built a Fort at Pallippuram ( a village at the Northen end of Vypeen Island, Cochin). This turned out to be the first European monument of India.
The Fort was used as an observation post to check the ships that would ply up and down the river ‘Periyar’ and the ‘Arabian Sea’. The Fort had(has) an underground cellar, which was used to store gun powder. The inside of the fort also has a well, which is a source of fresh water.
The Fort also houses a tunnel, which passes under the ‘Periyar river’ and connects to the ‘Kottappuram Fort’.
In 1663, the Dutch captured the Fort from the Portuguese.
In 1789, the Kingdom of Travancore purchased the Fort from the Dutch as they realized the strategic potential of the Fort. The sale was for a sum of 300,000 Rupees.
As of now, the Fort is maintained by the Department of Archaeology, Kerala and has been declared as a ‘protected monument’.
The entry is free and the visiting time is 0930-1700 hrs(Monday holiday).
Antony Paul Valluvassery
99956686080
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