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| Ft. Angelo, Kannur, Kerala. Inside view of the army barracks.en.wikipedia.org |
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A carrack, Almeida's voyage to the east. en.wikipedia.org
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Portuguese Viceroy in India, Don Francesco de Almeida, en.wikipedia.org
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Above image: Dom Francisco de Almeida (c. 1450 – 1 March 1510), a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer, also served as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492. In 1505, his appointment as the first governor and
viceroy of the Portuguese State of India (Estado da Índia) brought him to the western part of India. Francisco de Almeida left Portugal with a fleet of 22 vessels and 1,500 men. Credited with having established Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean and their dominance in spice trade off the coastal Malabar, his victory at the naval Battle of Diu in 1509 was yet another feather on his crown. In 1509, Almeida became the first Portuguese to arrive by ship in Bombay. On the way back to Portugal from India, Almeida lost his life in a conflict with the natives at the Cape of Good Hope in 1510. His only son Lourenço de Almeida was previously killed in the Battle of Chaul. .
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St. Angelo Fort constructed by the first Portuguese Viceroy in India, Don Francesco de Almeida (1505), is a historical, massive triangular shaped structure made of hard, compacted laterite stones. About that time Portuguese, after their first landing on the Kappad beach near Kozhikode (coastal Malabar) by Vasco de Gama with his armada in 1498, they were on an expansion mode. The Portugal king wanted the Portuguese to dominate the Spice Trade, etc., in that part of SW India. The Arabs who had a good understanding with the local Hindu ruler, had been in the forefront of the export of spices to the Middle East and other places. Portuguese in order to monopolize the spice trade, chose a vantage site near Kannur, Kerala and built the fort to safeguard their settlement. St. Angelo fort facing the Arabian sea is flanked by gigantic bastions for better protection against the invading enemies. The cannons positioned atop the fort were meant to fire at the sea if the enemy approached the fort from the sea- side. These cannons, it is said, had a range of close to one kilometer. Occasionally, it is said, the Portuguese would fire the cannons after tying local criminals and others to the mouth of the artillery - a bizarre punishment . The British gave the same punishments to the Indian soldiers in the later period in 1857- 1958 during the first Sepoy rebellion against the atrocities of the East India company. These incidents took place in the north Indian states. A little is known about the fact that the Kannur (also known as Cannanore) Cantonment is one of the 62 cantonments in the country developed by the European powers..
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moat, St. Angelo Fort, Kannur, Kerala en.wikipedia.org
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At the time when the fort was built the sea waves during high tides used to touch the base of the fort and subsequently, the coast line receded far back. From the front part of the fort, the soldiers could notice any suspicious ships and and take precautions easily. There is a huge thick wall separating the saline sea water of the Arabian Sea from the inland water.
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| old cannon, Fort Angelo, Kannur, Keralaonmanorama.com |
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Fort Angelo, Kannur, Kerala.onmanorama.com
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The historical events keep changing as the way colorful patterns appear in a kaleidoscope when given a good shake. In 1507 the local Indian ruler Zamorin and Kolathiri made a futile attack on the fort. Alfonso de Albuquerque who superseded Almeda as the Governor General, was arrested by the latter in this fort; however, his arrest did not last till October 1509. The ownership of this important fort then changed hands, the Dutch who had business interest in the East Indies, took over the Fort and in 1772 the local ruler King Ali Raja of Arakkal bought it from the Dutch and eventually the British, who had been competing with other powers like the French seized the fort in 1790, reshaped the structure and fortified it, thus making it a military stronghold in the Malabar area and they hung on to this fort till India's independence in 1947. The
Mopilla Bay is a natural harbor and the fort offers a panoramic view of it along with a sea wall projecting from the fort separating the rough sea and inland water. The near-by
Dharamadam Island, barely 5 acres in area, is 100 m from the mainland and a favorite haunt of visitors and now, it has become a modern fishing harbor. People come to the fort in large number for relaxation and enjoy the beautiful view of the vast sheet of the Arabian Sea. This historic site, a protected monument is under the l Archaeology Survey of India.
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| Location of Kannur (Cannanore), Kerala. en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Arrival route of 7th Armada (D. Francisco de Almeida) on the Malabar Coast of India, 1505...............................................
Located about 4 km from Kannur city, St. Angelo fort is an important tourist spot and new visitors to this place will never fail to visit this fort that saw the rise and fall of many European powers, their fortunes and their atrocities on the natives. These European powers never failed to show off their military prowess as well as their trading and maritime skill. This is the reason why this fort is historically an important one and its architecture shows a composite blend of Portuguese, Dutch and t British styles. ( colonial architecture) right from the early 16th century. The Portuguese architectural elements are well preserved. The fort gates are well-planned. and the sharp rust-proof iron spikes on the main gate are meant to prevent the slamming of the gate by the war elephants. The local guide expressed the view that the elephants could break open the gate if they could take a few steps backward and hit back the gate with momentum if their front legs are covered with wood or some other stuff to avoid getting hurt. The advantage of the walls close to the gate is it would restrict the movement of elephants near the gate. There is a pathway behind the fort stretching a kilometer or two into the sea. It is mentioned that there is a secret tunnel to be used by the troops in case of heavy fighting and imminent danger to their lives. It is a sort of escape route and the secret underground tunnel (21 km long) inside the fort connects Kannur Fort to the Thalassery Fort which is 21 km from the Ft. St.Angelo Fort. Still one can see obsolete cannons, magazine and an old oil lamp light house that once functioned inside the Fort and it is the first lighthouse in Kannur.
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| Old light tower, Ft. St. Angelo, Kannur, Kerala. mapio.net |
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| Ft St Angelo, Kannur, Kerala sanstravelogue.blogspot.com |
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Fort St. Angelo, Kannur, Kerala sanstravelogue.blogspot.com
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Prisons and barracks, Ft St. Angelo, Kannur, Kerala sanstravelogue.blogspot.com
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| Cannon facing the sea. Ft. St. Angelo, Kannur, Kerala.mapio.net |
The fort has many jails for the criminals and underground jail for hard-core criminals and those who protested against the Portuguese rule. There is a man-hole through which one could see the underground cell. It is pitch dark inside. The prisoners in the underground jail/ more or less dungeons had to manage sea water seeping from the walls during high tides. It was so dark it would be tough to grope over a short distance. ''Kuthiralaaym'' was a horse stable and in addition, it also served as ammunition store house. capable of storing 30000 bullet packs. The fort once had an hospital, the first one in this part of Kerala.
https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/st-angelo-fort-kannur/83
https://www.onmanorama.com/travel/getting-about-kerala/kannur/2020/04/19/kannur-st-angelo-fort-guided-tour-history.html..
https://sanstravelogue.blogspot.com/2019/03/fort-st-angelokannur-fort-st-angelo-was.html
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