SSC
The Bekal Fort, the largest fort in Kerala, is located in:
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Answer: Option A — Kasaragod district, Kerala
Detailed Solution
The Bekal Fort is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea at Bekal, in the Kasaragod district, the northernmost district of Kerala.
About the Bekal Fort:
It is the largest fort in Kerala, spread over about 40 acres.
It was built around 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty (also called the Ikkeri Nayakas) of Bednore, in present-day Karnataka. Some historians believe an earlier fort existed at the site.
It is shaped like a giant keyhole and rises from the sea, with almost three-quarters of it surrounded by water.
It was built of laterite stone.
It has a tall observation tower, a zigzag entrance designed for defence, and holes in the walls (for cannons and guns) at different levels.
Unlike many forts, it was not a palace or administrative centre, but was mainly built for defence.
It later came under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore, and then under the British East India Company after the defeat of Tipu in 1799.
A Hanuman temple and an old mosque built by Tipu Sultan are near the fort.
The fort became famous after the song "Tu Hi Re" (Tamil "Uyire") from Mani Ratnam's film "Bombay" (1995) was filmed there.
It is now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Bekal Resorts Development Corporation was set up to develop beach tourism around it.
Other forts of Kerala:
St. Angelo Fort (Kannur): built by the Portuguese in 1505 under Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India.
Thalassery Fort (Kannur): built by the British East India Company in 1708.
Palakkad Fort (Tipu's Fort): built by Hyder Ali in 1766.
Chandragiri Fort (Kasaragod).
Fort Kochi (Fort Emmanuel): built by the Portuguese.
Why not the other options?
Kannur district has St. Angelo Fort and Thalassery Fort.
Thrissur district is known for the Vadakkunnathan Temple and Thrissur Pooram.
Kollam district has the Thangassery Fort.
Quick tip
Remember: Bekal Fort = Kasaragod, Kerala (largest fort in Kerala; keyhole shape; built about 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi); St. Angelo Fort = Kannur (Portuguese, 1505).
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.