Anchuthengu ("Five Coconut Palms"), formerly known as Anjengo or Anjenga, is a coastal town in the Thiruvananthapuram Districtof Kerala.
The town contains old Portuguese-style churches, a lighthouse, a 100-year-old convent and school, tombs of Dutch and British sailors and soldiers, and the remains of the Anchuthengu Fort. Kaikara village, the birthplace of the famous Malayalam poet Kumaran Asan, is located nearby. Temples in the area are Sree Bala Subrahmanya Swami Kshethram and Parambil Sree Bhadrakali Yogeeshwara Kshethram.
Anchuthengu Fort
The British East India Company (EIC) established Anchuthengu Fort or Anjengo Fort in 1696 after the Queen of Attingal gave it permission in 1794 to do so. The fort served as the first signalling station for ships arriving from England.
The fort was the East India Company's first permanent post on the Malabar Coast. The EIC commenced construction in January 1796. In June 1696 pirates destroyed the Bengal Pilot Service's sloop Gingali at Anjengo In 1697 locals attacked the fort, which was not complete, but the English prevailed
The EIC completed the fort in 1699. he fort was square, with four bastions, each of which mounted eight guns. The walls between the bastions had seven or eight guns. In addition there was a battery of some 20 guns facing the sea. The fort had a garrison of 400 Europeans and 70-80 topasses
Anchuthengu is about 36 kilometers (22 mi) north of Thiruvananthapuram. The nearest airport is Trivandrum International Airport.Kadakkavur Railway Station is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) away.
Comments
Post a Comment