St. Angelo Fort, Coastal fort in Kannur, India.

St. Angelo Fort, also called Kannur Fort, stands about 3 km from Kannur town on the Arabian Sea at roughly 40 feet above sea level. The Dutch rebuilt it and added the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia and Frieslandia, which shape the present structure. A stone plaque in old Dutch inside the fort records the burial of a Dutch commander's wife and children from 1745-55.

Francisco de Almeida received permission from the Kolathiri king on 23 October 1505, and Gonçalo Gil Barbosa laid the foundation stone the next day; the wooden fort was finished on 30 October under its first captain, Lourenço Britto. The Dutch took it on 15 February 1663 and built the Hollandia, Zeelandia and Frieslandia bastions. They sold it to Ali Raja of Arakkal in 1772, and the British seized it in 1790, holding it as their chief Malabar station until 1947.

The fort's name comes from its 1505 Portuguese founders, and its later Malayali name is Kannur Kotta. A stone tablet carved in old Dutch records the burial of a Dutch commander's wife and children between 1745 and 1755; look for it on the walls. The Moppila Bay harbour and Arakkal Mosque stand nearby.

The fort is open to visitors during daylight hours, offering clear views of the sea from its walls and bastions. Wear comfortable shoes as you'll walk around the perimeter and climb to different levels to see the full structure and surroundings.

In 2015, excavation for visitor facilities uncovered around 35,950 cannonballs in four pits within ten days, ranging from 250 grams to nine kilograms; experts think they were made at Thoothukudi or in Malabar. A stone tablet carved in old Dutch records the burial of the wife and children of the Dutch commander of 1745-55.