Pallipuram Fort

Pallipuram Fort

Pallipuram Fort It was built by the Portuguese in 1503. It is the oldest existingEuropean fort in India. In 1789 the Dutch captured the fort in 1661[clarification needed] and sold it to the State of Travancore. This fort is situated in the northern extremity of the Vypeen island.

Pallippuram Fort is a fort in Ernakulam district of Kerala, south India. It was built by the Portuguese in 1503 and is the oldest existing European fort in India. The Dutch captured the fort in 1661 and sold it to the State ofTravancore in 1789. This fort is situated in the northern extremity of theVypeen island. This fort is in a hexagonal shape and popularly known as ayikkotta or Alikotta.

The outpost is a hexagonal structure. The lowest floor inside the fort is raised to a height of five feet. The cellar inside the fort was used to store gunpowder. The gate and the door posts, and the lintels are finely dressed and arched. There is a square well of dimension 3’3”. Earlier, it was the source of fresh water.

There is an opening to the north which leads to the cellar. There is a circular slab stone, on which was installed a pillar on which the radiating wooden struts supporting the upper two floors must have rested.

Each face of the fort measures 32 ft long, 34 feet high, and the walls are six feet thick. Each face of the fort has three embrasures, one above the other. The central opening of the embrasures measures 2’ × 2½’. The fort could have mounted as many as guns commanding all quarters round it. There is an open space inside affording easy passage to the cellar.

The fort is constructed using laterite, chunam, and wood. The walls are thickly plastered using mortar. The door way in the central circular slab is made of granite. All the six sides of the fort are overgrown with vegetation .

Stepping into Kochi is like stepping into the labyrinthine alleyways of history where you encounter the fresh wafts of the bygone era that comes from the ancient streets, palaces, museums, synagogues, cathedrals… Kochi is all this and more. This time, we invite you for a trip to Pallipuram in Vypeen Island near Kochi to behold and feel the earliest of all European memories in India.

Amid the huge trees that romance the skies, untouched by the hubbubs of the town, enduring the snags of time, there stands a fort in its geezerhood - the Pallipuram Fort. Built in 1503 by the Portuguese the Pallipuram Fort is considered as the oldest surviving European monument in India. Also known by the name Ayikotta or Alikotta the fort is a gigantic hexagonal structure.

The architecture of the fort is quite fascinating with a hexagonal outpost and the lowest floor raised to a height of five feet. Laterite, mortar and wood are used for the construction. The layout enables to mount as many guns as possible commanding all quarters round the fort. There is a cellar inside the fort, which was used at that time as a magazine. There is an open space inside, affording easy passage to the cellar. The local people believe that the cellar is a tunnel that leads to the Cheraman Masjid in Kodungallur (Kodungalloor).  

The fort fell into the hands of the Dutch army in 1663. In 1798 the fort was purchased by the Travancore Maharaja and is now a protected monument of the Kerala State Department of Archaeology.

Pallipuram got its name from the nearby Manjumatha Church, dedicated to the Lady of Snow (manju in Malayalam denotes mist or snow) which was also built by the Portuguese roughly at the same time as the Fort. 

In Malayalam the word Palli means church and thus the surrounding areas of the church became Pallipuram.

 There is an interesting legend associated with the name of the church. Accordingly, when Tipu Sultan attacked Kochi and tried to destroy the church a miraculous mist came down, enveloped the church and hid it from him.
Getting there: 
Nearest railway station  :  Ernakulam Junction, about one km from the main boat jetty to Vypeen Island
Nearest airport         :  Cochin International Airport, about 20 km from Ernakulam town to Vypeen Island