Kaleidoscopic Kasargod

This land of seven languages is rich in history and is home to Bekal Fort, the largest and best-preserved fort in Kerala, writes Ramakrishna Upadhya

Bekal Fort. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR

Ananthapadmanabha Temple

In this country, certain issues never die and we as a people, like to keep them alive. Take, for instance, the reorganisation of states. Even 65 years after the division of states on a linguistic basis, Karnataka continues to cast its covetous eyes on the beautiful land of Kasargod, on the northern tip of Kerala bordering Karnataka, just as Maharashtra takes every opportunity to express its violent love for Belgaum on its southern border with Karnataka. Luckily, the courts have sealed and settled the matter and there is little chance of either of them being reopened.

On a recent visit to Kasargod, I could get a sense of why it remains dear to Kannadigas. While writers like Panje Mangeshwara Rao and Kayyara Kinhanna Rai, who were born in Kasargod, tried hard to bring a part of Kasargod to Karnataka, as recommended by the Mahajan Commission’s report, several Kannada activists kept the flame burning until a few years ago. But when we come to terms with the reality that geography can’t be altered easily, we begin to appreciate the multi-layered history and the lasting monuments of the place without getting bogged down by emotional baggage.

Kasargod is one of the 14 districts of Kerala in the northern-most part of the Malabar region. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is known as Sapta bhasha sangama bhoomi (the land of seven languages), as one can hear people speaking in Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Urdu, Marathi and Beary languages. It is bound by Dakshina Kannada to the north, Western Ghats to the northeast, Kodagu to southeast, Kannur to the south and the Arabian Sea to the west. Our journey to Kasargod was spurred primarily by the desire to visit the incredibly picturesque Bekal Fort at the lap of the Arabian Sea. About five centuries ago when
Kerala had turned into a great attraction for sea-faring merchants from the Arab lands and Europe looking for spices and other precious materials, Bekal had acquired maritime importance. The local Kolathiris had developed this port town. After the battle of Talikota in 1565, the other feudal chieftains including Keladi Nayakas became powerful in the region. As national and international commerce grew, it was Hiriya Vekatappa Nayaka who saw the need for the fortification of Bekal. The construction of Bekal Fort initiated under him was completed by his successor, Shivappa Nayaka in 1650.

At a time when Kolathiris and Nayakas were engaged in interminable battles to control the area, Hyder Ali, who was on a conquest of the south, attacked with his superior army and Bekal fell into the hands of the Mysore kings. Ali’s son, Tipu Sultan who subsequently led a military expedition to capture the Malabar, saw the potential of Bekal Fort as a military station and constructed a massive observation tower inside it. After the Anglo-Mysore war of 1799, in which Tipu was killed, Bekal came under the British East India Company’s control and became taluk headquarters of South Canara district in the Bombay Presidency.

The beauty of Bekal Fort lies in the fact it is not only exquisitely designed and built of dark maroon-coloured laterite stones but appears to emerge from the sea, and as one climbs up to the observation tower, it offers a rare bird’s eye view of the vast expanse of the sea itself. The picturisation of A R Rahman’s popular song ‘Uyire…’ for Mani Ratnam’s film Bombay in the 1990s at this location, has rekindled the interest among the tourists in this monument which is now being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Another major attraction is the historical Ananthapadmanabha temple. It is a unique temple in the sense that it is created in the middle of an impressive lake of 302 ft deep. In more than 1,000 years of history, the lake has never been seen to dry up as it is gifted with a perennial supply of spring water. The main deity is that of Maha Vishnu in a sitting posture, which is absolutely rare. The local Thantri informs us that as the original statue, made of 70 different varieties of wood had withered away, it was painstakingly recreated in the original form a few decades ago after going through old records. There is a cave to the right corner of the temple. According to legend, the deity of Ananthapadmanabha chose to go through that cave all the way to Tiruvananthapuram as he was upset for some reason, and today, that temple near Kerala’s capital is more famous for its enormous riches. The Madanantheshwara Siddivinayaka temple at Madhur, 7 km from Kasargod, is a popular pilgrim centre.

The massive structure with a large base, which juts out into the sky in a conical shape, is built on the banks of Mogral river, locally known as Madhuvani.

The temple has recently been renovated and it attracts large crowds of devotees. The Maipadi Palace situated on the Kasargod-Perla road, which was once the seat of Kumbala kings, is well-preserved and worth a visit. The Bela Church, also known as Our Lady of Sorrows Church, is a reminder of the cosmopolitan character of Kasargod.