Much has been heard about the Bekal Fort in Kasargod. One could even see Arvind Swamy desperately seeking Manisha Koirala in "Bombay" in this very locales. We decided to check out the place for ourselves even though we were in Kannur and Bekal was in Kasargod. But thankfully, Bekal is not that far from Kannur. It took us not more than 2 and a half hours to reach Bekal in a private bus, thanks to bus driver's Formula1 skills.
The ride to Kanhangad was pretty
scenic with lots of streams/rivers all through our journey. After getting down at Kanhangad, we took another bus to Bekal, which was another 20 min ride from there. Once we reach Bekal, to our surprise we found it relatively less crowded like most places we visited in Kannur. At first look, it looks as if the fort stood the test of times. But once in, you'd realise that nothing much remains of the fort except the strong exterial fort walls. The best part about the fort is its Observation Tower. Atop this observation tower, the phrase "as far as the eye can see" is an understatement. Out here you could light years of land, sea and the sky.
The fort is so strategically located that its covered on three sides by water and one side by absolute greenery. There is an unusual quietness and serenity about this place that makes you not want to leave this place. The distant but loud sound of the unending waves soothes your mind and body unlike anything else in this world. You would never have enough of t
his place. The more time you spend here, the more you would want not to leave.
To our surprise, we found that large parts of the fort especially the walk-ways circumventing the walls of the fort has been reinforced over the years with lacerite. What is commendable about this reinforcement is that it does not spoil the aesthetics of the place.
The only disappointment about this fort is that, Bekal was never a palace. It was used only for defence purpose. Hence, you are deprived of few architectural splendors here. But apparently the fort was built in such a way to defend the fiercest enemies.
Once you have completed a tour of the fort, you can take one of the exits from the fort to the beach right below. The tide here is quite ferocious and even the season swimmer stands no match to the intimidating waters. The roaring waves here magically transforms you into an all together different world.
Bekal Fort has it all. Its the perfect holiday location. You never know how time flies here. So make sure you keep an entire day aside while visiting Bekal. And once you visit Bekal, you'll know why you promised yourself a second visit, like we did.
Getting-there: Any bus going towards Kanhangad.
Must-Do: Soak-In the sights, sounds, sand, surf and the sun of Bekal. Use the blended-in dumpsters.
Must-Don't: Be adventurous and think about a swim in the waters.
Could-Avoid: Taking pictures, as they will be etched in your minds till your last breath.
My Rating: 8/10
The ride to Kanhangad was pretty
scenic with lots of streams/rivers all through our journey. After getting down at Kanhangad, we took another bus to Bekal, which was another 20 min ride from there. Once we reach Bekal, to our surprise we found it relatively less crowded like most places we visited in Kannur. At first look, it looks as if the fort stood the test of times. But once in, you'd realise that nothing much remains of the fort except the strong exterial fort walls. The best part about the fort is its Observation Tower. Atop this observation tower, the phrase "as far as the eye can see" is an understatement. Out here you could light years of land, sea and the sky.The fort is so strategically located that its covered on three sides by water and one side by absolute greenery. There is an unusual quietness and serenity about this place that makes you not want to leave this place. The distant but loud sound of the unending waves soothes your mind and body unlike anything else in this world. You would never have enough of t
his place. The more time you spend here, the more you would want not to leave.To our surprise, we found that large parts of the fort especially the walk-ways circumventing the walls of the fort has been reinforced over the years with lacerite. What is commendable about this reinforcement is that it does not spoil the aesthetics of the place.
The only disappointment about this fort is that, Bekal was never a palace. It was used only for defence purpose. Hence, you are deprived of few architectural splendors here. But apparently the fort was built in such a way to defend the fiercest enemies.
Once you have completed a tour of the fort, you can take one of the exits from the fort to the beach right below. The tide here is quite ferocious and even the season swimmer stands no match to the intimidating waters. The roaring waves here magically transforms you into an all together different world.
Bekal Fort has it all. Its the perfect holiday location. You never know how time flies here. So make sure you keep an entire day aside while visiting Bekal. And once you visit Bekal, you'll know why you promised yourself a second visit, like we did.
Getting-there: Any bus going towards Kanhangad.
Must-Do: Soak-In the sights, sounds, sand, surf and the sun of Bekal. Use the blended-in dumpsters.
Must-Don't: Be adventurous and think about a swim in the waters.
Could-Avoid: Taking pictures, as they will be etched in your minds till your last breath.
My Rating: 8/10
I visited Bekal Fort in 1998 as aprt of a memorable road trip. I am glad to see that it still looks the same.
ReplyDeleteThe fort has been well-maintained with lots of renovation work which has been aesthetically done. Plus the view of the beach, makes it a memmorable visit.
ReplyDelete