Portuguese Fort: Built in 1503 by the Portuguese and also known as “Aya Kotta”, this fort is the oldest European monument in India. It was constructed as an outpost to safeguard the ancient port of Muziris. The Dutch captured the fort in 1661, in 1789 it was sold to the King of Thiruvathamkoor, and in 1795 it came under the ownership of the British East India Company. The three-story hexagonal structure is a very well-preserved Portuguese bastion. The fort was repaired between1596 and 1605 with a facade added in pure Manuelino style, possibly the only such building in India.It is 4k.m from Cherai Junction near Munambam Police station (north end of Vypeen). The foundation stone was laid on 20th September 1503. On 1st October it was christened as Manuel after the reigning king of Portugal. Gasper Correa writes “…It was completed in 1508 to hold the entrance to the back-water. It was garrisoned by 20 men. Each of its octagonal facets was pierced for cannon. This is the first European building in India.” (Source: Extract from the letter of Mr. A Galletti ICS to the resident of Travancore and Kochi).
Structure of the Pallipuram fort: - The outpost is a hexagonal structure. The lowest floor inside the Fort is raised to height of five feet. There is a cellar which was used to store gun powder. The gate, the door posts, and the lintels are finely dressed and arched. There is a square well of dimension 3’3”. Earlier, it was the source of fresh water.
There is an opening to the north which leads to the cellar. There is a circular slab stone, on which was installed a pillar on which the radiating wooden struts supporting the upper two floors must have rested.
Each face of the fort measures 32ft in length, 34 feet in height, and the walls are six feet in thickness. Each face of the fort has three embrasures, one above the other. The central opening of the embrasures measures 2’x 2 1/2’. The fort could have mounted as many as guns commanding all quarters round it. There is an open space inside affording easy passage to the cellar.
The fort is constructed using laterite, chunam, and wood. The walls are thickly plastered using mortar. The door way in the central circular slab is made of granite. All the six sides of the fort are overgrown with vegetation.
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