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Forts of Malabar-2-Thalassery Fort

FORTS OF MALABAR-2

 

SANJAI VELAYUDHAN

THALASSERY FORT 

INTRODUCTION:

MALABAR, AN INTRODUCTION:

Malabar lies along the southwest coast of the Indian peninsula and falls within the state of Kerala and. It lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Its name is believed to an amalgamated derivation between the Malayalam word Mala meaning Hill and the Persian (or Arabic) words Barr (Kingdom/port/continent). The name Malabar also has connotations to mean the hill country, a name well suited to its physical characteristics. Malabar is also used by ecologists to refer to the tropical moist forests of southwestern India. It is one of the oldest inhabited areas of Asia and the ancestors of today's population have inhabited the region for centuries. This region formed part of the ancient kingdom of the Cheras for centuries. It was absorbed as a part of the Great Hindu Empire, The Vijayanagara or the city of Victory in the 15th Century. The capital of the empire was located at Hampi. Under the combined onslaught of its rival Muslim armies, Vijayanagara fell after the battle of Talikota in 1565.  The destruction of the kingdom resulted in the emergence of local, yet powerful rulers. Considering its historical importance and prosperous spice trade, the region was coveted by the local rulers as well as the colonialists. Earlier dominated by the Portuguese followed by the Dutch and subsequently the English, this was a region to die for! The region finally came under British rule in the 18th century, during and after the Anglo-Mysore Wars.

 Today’s Malabar region predominantly comprises of the districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Kasaragode, Wayanad etc. In keeping with its military past, the region comprises of many forts. There are mainly five standing forts in and around the Region–the St. Angelo’s Fort, Thalassery Fort, the Bekal Fort, Chandragiri Fort and the Hosdurg Fort. This article is the first of the series and will explore the St. Angelo’s Fort or the Kannur Kotta (Kotta in Malayalam means Fort).

Thalassery fort is located in Kannur district that falls within the Malabar Region. Kannur is located in the green & beautiful state of Kerala. It has always been a political nerve centre. This characteristic of the place is maintained even today-it is still the hotbed of local politics. Considering its association with the lucrative spice trade, it was also the playground of colonial powers like the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French & the English. As is well known, architecture can convey many messages including that of strength. The forts were predominantly meant to store spices and other items for trade, offer safety to colonial officers and also at times a prison for political detainees. The forts primarily conveyed to the local populace a sense of its occupant’s invincibility. Their importance is such that they are imprinted in the psyche of the inhabitants.

Thalassery Fort is located in the town of Thalassery (Anglicized name Tellicherry) located at a distance of 22 Kms from Kannur.  This fort is symbolic of the humble beginnings of the British East India Company in the Malabar region. Though the fort began as a humble factory (typically in trade terms it meant a safe place to store spices and other items before being shipped) it became an important political edifice and went on to be imprinted in the local psyche with its associations with power.  It is well preserved and treated as an important sentinel of Malabar’s turbulent history. The recently released movie on the life of the lion of Kerala ‘Pazhassiraja” is centered around this power centre. An old Muslim mosque, the Jagannatha Temple and Thiruvangadi Sree Rama Swami temple are other attractions nearby.

History

In order to understand the significance of the fort, it is important for us to understand the terra-firma on which it is located. Let’s understand Thalassery before we move on to its most famous landmark.

 

Thalassery, a small town on the Malabar Coast is located 22 Kms away from district head quarters, Kannur. It is the second largest city of North Malabar. The palm-fringed geography of Tellicherry is adorned with four rivers, canals, hills with orange hued rock and a long scenic coastline.

 

When the Chera dynasty that ruled Kerala from 9th century AD began to decline by the beginning of 12th century AD. The erstwhile kingdom in the absence of  strong and unifying power disintegrated into smaller regions. The emergence of strong local leaders resulted in the combining of these regions into provinces. Venadu, Kochi, Kozhikode & Kolattunadu were the prominent ones. Thalassery fell within the kingdom of Kolattunadu. Thalassery was located at the north of the kingdom representing its “head”. Due to the location, it was called "Thalakkathe" (belonging to the top or at the head of) – Thala means Head in Malayalam). Combine with "Cheri" (for Place), it later became Thalassery.

 

As mentioned in my articles, Kerala was plagued by infighting between its rulers resulting in the dominance of colonial forces like the Portuguese, Dutch, French and English. Despite Kerala having a martial tradition (Kalaripayattu-the indigenous martial art is considered very effective and potent) and huge financial potential with a flourishing spice trade, it was possibly the lack of cohesion that led to its political landscape being dominated by colonialists. Kerala saw the dominance of various colonial powers like Portugal, Holland, France and England.

The British established their presence in Kerala in 1682, when they obtained permission (then their request were humble and would often be no different than lobbying) from the Prince of Kolattunadu, to settle at Thalassery. The Prince gave sanction to the East India Company to construct their first factory. It was also decided that the Company would pay tax to the Prince in lieu of exporting pepper from Kerala. In fighting between the rulers of Kerala facilitated the rise and fall of the Portuguese and Dutch in Kerala and the strategic emergence of the British. The British influence in the region strengthened albeit slowly. The British built a seaport in Tellicherry through which a variety of spices such as pepper and cardamom where exported. The world famous “Tellicherry Peppers” are named after this quaint little town. British Raj, the Mahé River (one of the most prominent ones) was nicknamed the English Channel, because it separated British-ruled Tellicherry from French-ruled Mahé.

The British East India Company’s domination resulted in extraction of exorbitant taxes from the farmers. Their dominance resulted in typical “tax-farming” triggering many revolts by the natives. Prominent among such revolts was the revolt of 1704, by the natives of Thalassery.  Though most of the local rulers remained subordinate to British rule, the only ruler who stood against their might was Pazhassi-raja who belonged to the Kottayam royal Family. All revolts including Pazhassi’s were crushed by the British using brute force. They eventually realised that in Kerala “might is always right”.One of the reasons why these revolts did not take a more decisive nature was their local characteristic.

Due to its coastal location, the town of Thalassery was a major commercial centre during the British rule of India. During this time the Malayalam name Thalassery was anglicized into Tellicherry. The British also established the district judicial court in Tellicherry whose jurisdiction extended up to Mysore.

This was the context against which the Fort was built.

When the East India Company landed in the Malabar region in 1683, they requested and got permission to build a “goods-shed” (called factory in trading parlance) here to stock the sacks of pepper and other goods for trade. It was strong resistance from their rivals the Dutch that forced them to shift their Head Office from Kozhikode to Thalassery. By 1965, the British traders had started their business from Thalassery, yet they opened their commercial centre there after four years. Their increasing commercial “scope” necessitating the erection of the fort. By 1700, the British built the Thalassery Fort around the “factory” on a small hill called Tiruvellapadkunnu and in 1708, it was strengthened by increasing its height and with bastions.  The fort is a square structure built of laterite and is distinguished by its massive ventilated walls and strong flanking bastions. With its massive walls and legends that the British built secret tunnels to the sea (& as rumored, to the St. Angelo’s Fort), it acquired a larger than life persona.  Apart from the practical benefits, the mystique associated with the fort was a temptation for aggressive rivals.  In 1780, the fort was captured by the Mysore military, led by Sardar Khan, and controlled for 18 months. Mysore force had captured the Dharmadom island from the British and attacked the nearby areas of Melur and Nettur. However, in 1782, a large number of British force came from Mumbai and defeated the Mysore force and imprisoned 1,200 Mysore military personnel, including Sardar Khan. Later, Sardar Khan committed suicide inside the fort.

 

The only neighboring ruler who had the means & reason to take on the British was Tipu sultan, the worthy son of the warrior Haider Ali. Thus annihilating Tipu became a priority for the British which they accomplished though with great difficulty. After his defeat at Srirangapatanam, Malabar District was ceded to the British in 1792.  Every victory of the English strengthened the perception that they were undefeatable. These rapid shift in political power metamorphosised the fort into a testimonial of British imperialism and became the nucleus of Thalassery's development.

 

The fort that has completed 300 years also has a lighthouse situated within its premises. This is now in a dilapidated condition.  The famous St. John’s Anglican Church is located behind the fort near the Coast. Adjacent to the church and behind the fort is located the famous Sir Edward Brennen cemetery. Though covered by outgrowth of plants and vines, one can walk through the cemetery and go through the plaques and read the inscriptions. Many British officials and their family members have been laid here for their final rest. It’s a bit unnerving reading the plaques of people who died a couple of centuries ago. Located nearby is the erstwhile collector’s bungalow. After Independence, many government offices were shifted inside the fort to emphasize on the new Ownership. The fort is under the protection and management of the Archeological Survey Of India.

© Sanjai velayudhan

Endnote: The author would like your feedback-both bouquets & brickbats. Write to me- sanjai.velayudhan@gmail.com.

About the Author

A behavioural trainer by education and a loyalty specialist by profession. Sanjai has PG qualifications in Training and performance management from CLMS, University of Leicester.

Sanjai is a compulsive writer and has recently chosen article base to put his thoughts together. For select whitepapers on loyalty, please visit:
http://www.itcinfotech.com/Loyalty-Solutions/Home.html.

He is currently working on two articles for publication on Goa & Kerala. Will be published in a couple of visits.