Bekal fort is the major tourist attraction of the northern district kasaragod. It is located in the shores of Arabian sea and around 15km far from kasaragod town. Bekal fort is the largest and best preserved fort in kerala. The entire Bekal is shaped like a giant key hole and its surrounded by an excellent beach. It is a favorite shooting location for film makers and the famous film song "uyire uyire" from the movie of Bombay has been shoot at Bekal.
The Bekal fort was build by Shivappa Nyaka in AD 1650. He was a notable ruler of old Karnataka. After that it fell in the hands of Mysore king Haider Ali, Later into the hands
of British. And the fort was build by the purpose of defense, Before the local rulers used to
build forts for the sake of protect them from enemy.
In 1995 Kerala Government formed BRDC (Bekal Resorts Development Corporation) for maintaining the fort and promoting tourism. Bekal is also included in the project of Government of India's "Special Tourism Area", Under this leadership they developed almost all the facilities
required for a tourist place like Large Parking Area , Wonderful walkway with stones, Resting
facilities like small hut and tree house with chairs and tables, Toilet facilities and a beautiful park has been created for children's still they are developing much more facilities for tourists.
The government have a plan to start sea plane service connecting Bekal with Kuamarakom and other lakes
How to reach :
(18 km far from Bekal).
By Train : Kanhangad and Kasaragod are the main railway stations. Bekal itself have a
railway station but there stop for only local trains.
By Air : Mangalore International Airport is the nearest one.
Nearest Attractions : Ranipuram (Hill station), Ananthapura Lake Temple, Kanjirakolli water falls, Pithalmala (Hill station), etc
Hotel and Resort : VIVANTA BY TAJ BEKAL - KERALA , THE LALIT RESORT & SPA - BEKAL - KERALA , OYSTER OPERA - BEKAL - KERALA
Reference Sites : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bekal_Fort