Fort in India
Arikadi Fort
is a fort located in the
Kasaragod district
of
Kerala
,
India
. It is also known as
Kumbla Fort
. The fort is located at a distance of 1 km from Kumbla on the
NH 66
National Highway between kumbala River and shiriya River
[1]
There is a
Hanuman
temple just below the fort.
[1]
Excavations by a team from the Department of Archeology,
University of Kerala
in 2015 uncovered a large hall possibly meant for congregation.
[2]
The excavation was carried out as part of the 'A Survey of Forts' research project jointly funded by the
University Grants Commission
(UGC) and the University of Kerala. Excavations have also uncovered large quantities of roof tiles, local pottery, Chinese pottery, lead bullets and the mold used to make them.
[2]
Geography
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]
The fort is located in the
Arikady
village in Kumbla, Kasaragod district. The nearest railway station and busstand is at Kumbla and the nearest airport is
Mangalore International Airport
. The fort is located on a lateritic hillock on the right bank of the Arikady River.
[2]
History
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edit
]
According to the South Canara Manual, the
Keladi Nayakas
(1500?1763) who had their capitals at
Keladi
,
Ikkeri
and
Bednore
in
Karnataka
built few forts in the Hosdurg-Kasargod region of Kerala.
[3]
Arikadi Fort is one of them. According to historical records, Arikady Fort was built by Ikeri Hiriya Venkadappa Nayak in 1608.
[4]
In the second volume of the South Canara District Manual, Stuart records that there was an inscription in Kannada at the entrance to the fort, which states that the fort was built by Nayak.
[4]
Other histories are also being told. Most commonly, it is believed that the fort was built during the reign of
Tipu Sultan
.
[4]
Another belief is that it was built for the headquarters of the Kumbala dynasty.
[4]
Another belief is that the fort existed during the reign of the
Kolathiri Rajas
and that after the collapse of the Kolathiri kingdom and the
Vijayanagara Empire
, the area came under the control of the Ikkeri Nayakas and they rebuilt the forts.
[3]
Some historians say that the fort was under the rule of the Maypadi Kovilakam, which had jurisdiction from Kumbala to the Chandragiri river.
[2]
The area was under their control during the heyday of the Vijayanagara Empire, which was later handed over to the Nayaks of Bednore and the local king acted as their feudatory.
[2]
After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, it fell into the hands of the Mysore rulers and after the defeat of Tipu Sultan by the
British
, the fort fell to the British control.
[2]
References
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]