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Palakkad Fort
 Location
:
Palakkad, Kerala
Built By
:
Haider Ali
Built In
:
1766 AD
Captured by
: British in 1790 AD
Also known as Tipu's Fort or Palakkad Fort, this well-preserved fort of 18th century is situated in the heart of Palghat (Palakkad) town. Built by Haider Ali of Mysore, supposedly to hasten communication between Coimbatore and the West Coast (both the sides of Western Ghats), it is today a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. Haider Ali's son Tipu Sultan earned the title of the 'Lion of Mysore' and became a legendary hero by waging a series of wars against the British colonial rule. In 1784 after a siege lasting eleven days, the British Colonel, Fullerton stormed the Fort. It later fell into the hands of the Zamorin's troops but was recaptured by the British in 1790. Tipu Sultan lost his life in 1799 in an encounter with the British and the fort later came to be known in his name. The sober majesty of the laterite walls of the fort reminds one of the old tales of valor and courage.
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