Palakkad Fort, also known as Tipu's fort is located in the heart of the town of Palakkad of the state of Kerala in India. Palakkad Fort was built by Haider Ali in the year 1766 and is one of the well preserved forts of Kerala in India.
History of the Palakkad Fort
Palakkad Fort is known to be an ancient one and that too of the 18th century but the Fort has a very little known history. Palakkad Achchan the then ruler of the part of the calicut Zamorin decided to become independent. He asked haider Ali, who was trying to get a foot hold in such a strategic area, for help. Haider Ali seized the oppurtunity and got hold of the important location for his fort. From that time till 1790 it was in the hands of the Mysore Sultans or the british. In 1768 Colonel wood captured this fort but was taken back by Haider a few months later. Again captured by Colonel Fullarton in 1783, it fell into the hands of the zamorin. Finally it was captured by Colonel Stuart in 1790, got renovated and used as a base for their operations which ended with the storming of Srirangapatnam.later Tipu took it over and started getting known as Tipu's Fort, as Tipu is haider Ali's Son.
About the Fort Palakkad
The fort had been the witness of many a war and blood shed between the local rulers, Mysore Sultans, calicut Zamorins and the british forces during the last decades of the 18th century. This Palakkad fort is a legacy left by haider Ali, the father of Tipu Sultan. The Fort is built completely of granites and has been well preserved and maintained all these days so that they stay even now after 2 or more centuries have passed. You can see the rich style and architecture depicts th glory of then princely states and the military command of these modern Indian Empires.
Present Tipu's Fort at Palakkad.
There was a large ground area between the Palakkad town area and the fort which has been made in to a big ground known as Kota Maidan or the Fort Grounds. The ground was the then Horses' and Elephants's stable of Tipu's Army. Now it is being used to play matches like Football and Cricket, hold exhibitions and public meetings. There is an open air auditorium in the grounds which is called "Rappadi" Presentrlythe Fort and the grounds are under the preservation of the Archaeological survey of India. There is also a children's park inside the Fort premises.
Inside the Palakkad / Tipu's Fort there is an Anjaneya Temple. The temple attracts devotees from in and around Palakkad.
Palakkad sujail is also located within the Fort premises.
Accomodation facilities in Palakkad
There are very good deluxe hotels located in the town of Palakkad, which provide good stay in the region. Some of the hotels that can be mentioned are Hotel Indraprastha, Hotel Sri Chakra International, Hotel KPM International, Fort Palace Hotel and Hotel Gazala. there are many more small and budget oriented hotels also present in and around the area of the Palakkad Fort.
How to Reach Palakkad
If you are travelling by air, you have to reach either one of the 3 sirports of Kerala or Coimbatore airport in Tamilnadu. You can geteither train connection or Road transport to reach Palakkad. Nearest Airport will be Coimbatore which is just 60 kilometers and you can get connection flights from there to all cities of India.
Palakkad has two stations, one Palakkad Junction and the other Palakkad Town. Palakkad is well connected by Road since it is placed on the National Highway 45 which runs from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram.
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