Kottappuram Muziris Fort

On the fringes of Thrissur district sits the remnants of a citadel, basking in its past glory.

Often referred to as the Cranganore Fort, its Anglical name, the Kottappuram Fort was built by the Portuguese in the year 1523, and is also known as the Kodungallur Fort. The Kottappuram fort is located at about 4 km from Kottappuram junction at the Kodungallur-Moothakunnam road. It was seized and torn down by the Dutch in 1663. The fort was positioned strategically at the ingress of the river Periyar before it flows into the Arabian Sea, which gave it the whip hand to take control of the movement of the ships and boats that passed through Malabar. This fort was also a vital part of the Nedumkotta Fort which was built by the Travancore Maharaja as a defensive measure against the invasion by Tipu Sultan. At present, the fort is a part of the Muziris Heritage Project, which aims to liberate it from its dilapidated state.