St. Angelo and Bekal fortresses: a comparative study

Abstract

The Ph.D. thesis entitled St.Angelo and Bekal Fortresses -A ComparativeStudy has been carried out by me as a research scholar during the period of 2006- 10 for Ph.D. degree of the Kannur University under the supervision of Dr.Prof. K.S. Mathew, at the Institute for Research in Social sciences and Humanities, affiliated to the Kannur University. When I was a student in the Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India New Delhi, I had an opportunity to participate in the excavation training camp at Dholavira (famous Harappan site), during 1993-94. The well built Indus Valley citadel with ramparts of the northern and the eastern gateways attracted me very much. Since then I started having interest in fortification. After my posting as Dy.Superintending Archaeologist, Thrissur circle of Archaeological survey of India, Kerala till my promotion to the post of Superintending Archaeologist, I was fascinated by these two fortresses. They are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, and I was personally associated with various works carried out on exploration, excavation, clearance of scientific debris and conservation and preservation of these fortresses. Location of St.Angelo fortress (lat 11 52 N Long 75 27 E) St. Angelo fortress is the earliest surviving European or rather Portuguese fortress in India. It was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first viceroy of Portuguese India and is on the Arabian Sea about 3km from Kannur town. Thomas Fernandes was the architect of Cannanore St. Angelo fortress. The fort changed hands several times. In 1663 the Dutch captured it and later sold it to the Arakkal royal family in 1772. The British captured it in 1790 and transformed it into one of their major military stations on the Malabar coast. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. A painting of this fort and the fishing harbor behind it can be seen in the Rajksmuseum in Amsterdam.