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Introduction
The Kerala beaches on the crystal waters of the Arabian Sea are little pieces of heaven on earth. A lovely stretch of golden sand, a long battalion of palms standing in unison to pay their tribute to the roaring sea and a 300 years old fort overlooking the sea, the sand and the palms in stoic remembrance of better times: that's Bekal Beach for you. Located close to Kasargod and lying underneath the Bekal Fort is the Bekal Beach.
Though a favorite hangout among the residents of Kasargod since a long time, it is only recently that the tourism potential of the beach has been identified. Presently the tourist department of Kerala is trying its best to promote the beach as a tourist destination.
Bekal- Location
The Bekal Beach is located at a distance of 14 km from Kasargod city. Kasargod is connected to the rest of Kerala with a good network of rail and road. The airport nearest to Bekal is 50 km away at Mangalore, Karnataka.
Tourist Attractions in Bekal
Bekal Fort
The Bekal Fort is any day the largest and the best maintained fort in all Kerala. The fort is conjectured built in the 1650s by Sivappa Naik of the Ikkeri Dynasty. Another school of belief however claims that the fort was originally built by Kolathiri Rajas and later captured by Sivappa Naik. The fort was occupied Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1763 A.D and then the Huzur of Canara during Tipu Sultan's reign and later the British. During the British rule, the erstwhile Bekal taluk was part of South Canara district and encompassed the present Kasaragod and Hosdurg taluk.
The circular fort is an imposing structure of laterite rising 130 ft. above sea level and stands on a 35 acre headland that runs into the Arabian Sea. Replete with hidden pathways, trenches, openings on the outer wall and a zigzag entrance, this fort clearly puts across the intent of defense and combat. The sea bastion, underground tunnels and the observation tower in the fort are pretty impressive. Due to its historic relevance, the fort is controlled by the Archaeological Survey of India. Coins and other historical artifacts were unearthed by archeologists making it an interesting excavation site.
The MosqueJust outside the fort is a mosque built by Tipu Sultan.
Anjaneya templeJust at the entrance of the fort is this temple dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey god and a devout follower of Lord Rama.
Tourist Attractions near Kasargod
Pallikere Beach
Bekal Hole Aqua Park
Kappil beach
Ananthapura Lake Temple
Valiparamba Backwaters
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