Vestige of glorious past

The lush greenery, topography and the architectural beauty of the fort reminisce tourists the features of historical Bekal fort.

The fort in Arikady too has all the natural and architectural resources in its store which can make it a prominent tourism spot in future. Though it has not been maintained and developed properly, the structures inside the fort heralds the political and cultural significance of the region.

History

Kasargod district, especially Bekal area, was occupying a strategic position and had attained importance from the days of Vijayanagara times. According to South Canara Manual, the Kelady Nayakas (1500 -1763), who had their capitals at Keladi, Ikkeri and Bednore in Karnataka, were responsible for the construction of a few forts in Hosdurg – Kasargod area. The fort at Arikady is one among them.

History mentions that the Bekal fort and other forts including Arikady fort was considered to be built by Sivappa Nayaka. Another version is that the forts were in existence during the Kolathiri Rajas and after the decline of Kolathiri kingdom and Vijayanagara Empire, the area came under the control of Ikkeri Nayakas, who rebuilt the forts and occupied the area. In 1763, the Bekal fort fell into the hands of Hyder Ali. Bekal served as an important military station of Tipu Sultan when he had the great military expedition to capture Malabar. With the death of Tipu Sultan while fighting against the British in 1799, the Mysorean control came to an end and subsequently the fort came under the British East India Company. Gradually the political and economic importance of Bekal declined considerably.

Watch tower

A watch tower built in the middle of the fort still upholds relevance of other forts in the region. Similar watch towers are there in Bekal, Hosdurg, Chandragiri and Kasargod forts too. It is believed that those who occupied the fort were using the watch tower to observe the movement of enemy troupes through the ocean.

One can have a spectacular view of the sea and surrounding areas standing on top of the tall watch tower inside Arikady fort too.

In addition to watch tower, there are several other ancient structures in a ruined state inside Arikady fort. Ancient pillars, stones, walls and wells can be seen inside the fort. However, those are all lying in a partially destroyed state due to lack of maintenance.

Hanuman Temple

Like Bekal, Hosdurg, Chandragiri and Kasargod forts, there is a Hanuman temple inside Arikady fort too. Most of the travellers on NH-17 stop their vehicle to pray to Lord Hanuman at Arikady.