Palakkad Fort

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View from outside the northern wall.

Palakkad Fort (Tipu's Fort) is an old granite fort situated in the heart of Palakkad town of Kerala state, southern India. It was built by Haider Ali in 1766 and remains one of the best preserved forts in Kerala.

1 History
2 Current status
3 Inside the fort
4 References

[edit] History

The Palakkad Fort is said to have existed from very ancient times, but little is known of its early history. The local ruler, Palakkad Achchan, was originally a tributary of the Zamorin, but had become independent before the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1757 he sent a deputation to Haider Ali seeking help against an invasion threatened by the Zamorin. Haider Ali seized upon the oppurtunity to gain possession of a strategically important location such as Palghat, and from that time until 1790 the fort was continually in the hands of the Mysore Sultans or the British. It was first taken by the latter in 1768 when Colonel Wood captured it during his raid on Haider Alis's fortresses, but it was retaken by Haider a few months later. It was again captured by Colonel Fullarton in 1783, after a siege which lasted for eleven days, but was abandoned next year. Later, it fell into the hands of the Zamorin’s troops. In 1790 it was finally captured by the British under Colonel Stuart. It was renovated and from that time, it was used as a base for the operations which ended in the storming of Srirangapatnam. The fort continued to be garrisoned until the middle of 19th century. In the early 1900s it was converted to taluk office.

The fort is also known as Tipu's Fort (after Tipu Sultan, the son of Hyder Ali).

[edit] Current status

There is a large ground between the Fort and the Palakkad Town hall, called Kota Maidanam (Fort Grounds). It served as the stable for the elephants and horses of Tipu's army. This is ground has been renovated and used for staging cricket matches, exhibitions and public meetings. An Open Air Auditorium called "Rappadi" is located in the spacious grounds of the Fort, now preserved by the Archaeological Survey Of India. There is also a small Children's park on one of the sides of the Fort. The fort has been beautified in the recent times with its plush lawn around the fort.