Tellicherry Fort, Colonial fort in Thalassery, India

Tellicherry Fort is a square laterite-block fortress with high walls pierced by round holes and strong flanking bastions, rising 10 m above the sea near Thalassery. Its massive walls, secret tunnels to the sea and intricately carved doors are visible; a lighthouse marks the site of an old redoubt.

The British East India Company opened a factory at Tellicherry in 1708 after obtaining the site from Vadakkelamkur, ruler of Kolathunad. An attack by Korangoth Nair and the Udayamangalam branch of the Kolathiri family damaged English property, prompting the Company, backed by the Kolathiri Raja, to build the fort around the outlying hills. The French occupation of Mahé in 1725 led to stronger fortifications, and Hyder Ali failed to take the fort in 1781.

The fort grounds hosted cricket matches between European settlers and local teams, helping introduce the sport to the Malabar region. This activity became a way for different communities to gather and share interests on the same space.

The fort is walkable from Thalassery Railway Station, which sits close by. The best time to visit is during the drier months when the grounds are easier to explore on foot.

The fort was a trading post before it became a military base and then a prison, as C. P. F. Vengad notes in his book on Kerala's forts. In 1704 the local chief Kurungottu Nair seized the Company's warehouse over unpaid compensation for the land, prompting the British to seek permission to build the fort.