In The Land ( and Waters) of The Cheras
The heaving Chinese Fishing Nets below the promontory of the "Cranganore Fort" - now known as Kottappuram Fort - look like beautiful Art Installations. The higher grounds of the Fort hold memories of Dutch adventurers , Portuguese missionary- merchants , cross border plunderers and wily local Chieftains in white mundus, negotiating treaties with European Monarchs. KOTTAPPURAM FORT aka Fortaleza da Sao Tome - situated on a bend , affording panoramic views of Periyar Lake on both sides , was built by the Portuguese in 1523 , captured and remodelled by the Dutch in 1662 , coveted by The Mysore Sultanate , purchased , by The Travancore Kingdom in 1789, and in 1909 , made a Public Property . A stone tablet announces this last fact , while the rest of the brick fortifications are in utter ruin . But conserved now under the The Muziris Heritage Project ( initiative of Kerala Govt. with UNE...