ANCHUTHENGU FORT

ANCHUTHENGU FORT

The bitter and the sweet memories lie down with related the ANCHUTHENGU fort. It is the reminder of the invasion of the British. May be there wont be anything sweet memories to recollect excluding the nature beauty and the great persons influence. But all would be the attack and business.

ANCHUTHENGU fort was the first one to be ever built by the British in thiruvithamcorde, to secure there life. Sea route and the back water attracted many merchants to developed there business, Including Portuguese, Dutch and the British.

ANCHUTHENGU made its entry in the pages of history for the first time, when the East India Company launched there business centre (pandakasala) in 1673 with the permission of the Attingal Queen. And the following year British captured ANCHUTHENGU.
They began to build the fort in 1690 and completed it in 1695 with the permission of Attingal Queen. The business centers like Vizhinjam, Edava, and Kulachal were brought under the control of ANCHUTHENGU during this time. In 1729 ,when the English company got the ownership from Thiruvithamcore to do the business of pepper. The importance of ANCHUTHENGU also flourished increasingly day by day. 

At the end of the 17th century the East India Company had set another business centre in Thalaserri excluding ANCHUTHENGU.

There arisen the red revolution that was the first against the British. Yet no one reminded, or no one given an important, totally became an isolated incident, that’s how it is scribbled down in the history. It was ATTINGAL REVOLUTION later known to the world and India.
On 15th April 1721, when the president of the ANCHUTHENGU fort mr.Gifford, two councilors and the rest of the fort army were on the way to give gifts to Attingal Queen, the people of ANCHUTHENGU revolted against them. Blocked there way, and throw all of them to death. Then they rounded the fort and it sustained for six months. But unfortunately many of the English army who came from Thalasseri defeated them and recaptured the fort. Havilton had written that the fort was protected by Mr. Inse until the army arrived from Thalasseri. 

After Alexander Orme William Wake become the chief and in 1739 William was transferred to Thalasseri. In 1790 the Dutch people of kolly fort tried to destroy the ANCHUTHENGU fort. They could not be successful in there attempt.

ANCHUTHENGU had given most important than Thalasseri when Hydarali lead the army in to Malabar. Defense weapons like the gun, the materials used for making bullets, and all other things witch were required for the British army were sent from ANCHUTHENGU fort. Mr. Hutchison was the resident of ANCHUTHENGU in 1796. Veluthampi Dalava and canal Mekale were met and came to a treaty in ANCHUTHENGU only on 1805. So it was the place where the famous figures were at the early.

The fort is situated with in two acre square feet with 75 meters length and width. It is built up with bricks in a shape of square wall. The fort is now under the authority of archeological department of central government.
Inside the fort, in the entrance west corner there is a cave. It has ten feet width and height. There is a story being told among the local people that once a cow and a man entered inside the cave and they never returned back. So after the incident the people closed the entrance of the cave with bricks. Now it looks like a room. Where does the cave leads, what was purpose of it, how was it built and its use, will the government reopen it to make a research.

There are many unanswered mystery questions considering the fort. Which seeks answers?
We can find no other building inside the fort except a well in the north side and a coconut tree nearby. There was a Gulmohar tree near the entrance of the fort but later it was cut down as it grew dangerous to the fort. Now we have a beautiful garden inside the fort with the help of archeological department. Even today we can find tomb of Portuguese out side it.

Three hundred years of memory had been forgotten by everyone when India celebrates its golden jubilee of independence. It may be they forgotten the ANCHUTHENGU revolution (Attingal revolution) or might be said to forget or kept or dumped in waste box of mind. It’s a fact of the truth that always has to face such neglect once.

Anjengo
The whole area here is situated with heart capturing sceneries. The endless music raising from raring wages, evening breeze making everyone asleep, drought unknown rivers flowing in the east, coconut trees all around providing shade through the movement of the seen. The fish folk live here happy with great grateful to the mother sea.
Portuguese arrived in ANCHUTHENGU in the same year when they arrived in Kozhikode for the first time in 1498. It was with the permission of Samoothiri by means of preaching the religion. 
Later in the 16th century they had built the church in ANCHUTHENGU, at that time it was governed by the Attingal queen. During that period Portuguese and the Dutch people were in a good term with the queen. There fore they were allowed to do pepper business. So in 1684, the East India Company launched a business centre in ANCHUTHENGU with the permission of the queen.
There was a good deal between them and the queen. She allowed them to build a fort in ANCHUTHENGU on 1690 to increase their commerce. After five years the fort was built completely in a squared type. It had four inner platforms; eight cannon were placed excluding the other twenty cannon.
Here exists Amman temple near ANCHUTHENGU junction. It was built for the Chettiyaar to pray, who were brought from Thirunnalveli to build the fort. Thattans who came with them too had also built up Muthumari Amman temple near to and stayed there itself. 
After Bombay, British found ANCHUTHENGU as suitable place for them to protect themselves and also to improve there commerce through sea route. The nature itself provided with a merchant situation with the hide and vast sea shore and the pure water facility in ANCHUTHENGU. So it was like an inn for those back water and those who came very tired. The neighboring locality of ANCHUTHENGU namely ‘Puthidom’ (today’s Poothura) also favored them in increasing their business. 
75 Venetian coins give as rent for the fort every year. It was all around 251 acres was been made use for the company. 
The British were at first time attacked in 1697 and probably it might have been the first attack in Kerala targeted against them. They could not succeed in there first attempt, hence they prepared themselves to attack the British round about the fort. It lasted for six months, but by the time they blocked Mr. Gifford and his army while they were on the way to Attingal. They cut off the penis of Gifford’s servant Marchinoss, and Gifford’s body was nailed to the wood and thrown in to the back water. They attacked the whole troop and murdered every one in the fort. Later 300 army men and Massford from Thalasseri came and captured the fort again from the locals of ANCHUTHENGU.
During the year 1792 ANCHUTHENGU lost its importance and its business went into a dark time. The Veluthampi revolution in 1809 had shacked the fort a bit but it did not last long for. In 1810 ANCHUTHENGU was under the political government of Thiruvithamcore and all the business deal which was going on there was put a half in 1813. After time there were only a group of fisher men family and the isolated fort left out. The fisher folk surrender there Friday’s one third of income to the church of immaculate Mary the mother.
There were few European hammed/ cemetery which were 250 meters away from the local Roman Catholic Church in ANCHUTHENGU, and among them the very oldest one was the Dutch’s tomb, it was in 1709. The cemetery measured with the square feet of 60 cents. At present we find the panchayath office in the same place. There were also panchayath unions during the British rule from the year 1928. There was an inn near the fort earlier. Later it had become the police out post.
There was also a magistrate court near the fort and the magistrate had the power of Thahasildar, sub registrar and munisif second class magistrate. We could find the ANCHUTHENGU hospital (kachery hospital) in the same place. Even today we can see the stone of magistrate near the ANCHUTHENGU fort. The inscription of the stone reads like this, “their imperial majestic silver jubilee memorial munisif magistrate (1910-1935) J.X. Fernandez”.