Thalassery Fort
The entrance of Thalassery Fort
Thalassery Fort stands tall in Thalassery’s fast-changing townscape. In 1683 CE, when the English East India Company started trading in Malabar, it built a factory at Thalassery and fortified it in 1708 CE. Hence, it was used for trade purposes in the initial years. Later it became a military base and administrative centre for British rule in India.
An underground chamber of the fort is said to have been used to conduct many meetings. Several storage rooms were converted into prisons and some functioned as administrative offices. This square-shaped fort is an excellent masterpiece of the architectural style of yesteryears. The flanking bastions, massive entrance wall, the lighthouse pronouncing it a harbour town and the secret tunnels are some among its notable features. In 1999 CE the Archaeology Department of India took over the fort and has been preserving it ever since.