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St Thomas Fort

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Fort Thomas
(Tangasseri Fort)
Fortaleza de São Tomé
Front view
St Thomas Fort is located in Kollam
St Thomas Fort
Location within Kollam
St Thomas Fort is located in Kerala
St Thomas Fort
Location within Kerala
St Thomas Fort is located in India
St Thomas Fort
Location within India
8°52′54″N 76°34′07″E / 8.8816°N 76.5685°E / 8.8816; 76.5685
LocationTangasseri, Kollam city,
Kerala, India
History
Built1518
Site notes
ArchitectPortuguese
Architectural styles
Portuguese Colonial,
Built using sandstone and lime mortar

Fort Thomas or St. Thomas Fort or Fortaleza de São Tomé, also known as Tangasseri Fort, is a ruined fort located in the beach town of Tangasseri on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India.[1][2] It is located around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city center of Kollam and 71 kilometres (44 mi) from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.[3]

History

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Sketch of Thangaserri, 1505. The fort can be seen close to the shore.

Tangasseri was associated with the Chinese trade from the first millennium AD and later colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British to become the "gold village". According to Historians, Captain Rodriguez came to Quilon and was appointed as the captain of the factory and trade, with permission from the queen. St.Thomas Fort (once known as Fortaleza de São Tomé) was built by the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque for the protection of the newly developed trade. In 1505 the Portuguese established a trading port here, and in 1518 established its sovereignty through the construction of Fort St. Thomas. Later in 1661 the town and the fort were handed over to the Dutch who made it the capital of Dutch Malabar. The Dutch occupied the fort for several years. In 1795, the British East India Company took possession of the fort. In 1823 Fort St. Thomas accepted a lease by Travancore from the British government for a period of twenty years.[4][5]

The fort formed part of a wider European settlement landscape at Tangasseri. An early twentieth-century survey recorded two cemeteries on the headland nearby, separated by the road towards the former flagstaff, with an old belfry standing in one of the burial grounds.[6]

Fort St. Thomas was originally around 20 feet (6.1 m) tall. Today, the little remains of the fort, popularly known as "Tangasseri fort" remain facing the beach. At present, the fort is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[7]

Architecture and remains

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The original Portuguese fort was designed as a coastal defensive work with three towers and four bastions, with its entrance facing the sea. Much of the structure was subsequently destroyed, and the surviving remains include portions of the fort wall, an arched gateway and the foundations of its towers.[8]

Access

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The nearest major transport links are Kollam Junction railway station and the Kollam KSRTC bus station, both about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the fort. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is approximately 68 km (42 mi) away.[9]

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References

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  1. ↑ "Thangassery Fort - Ruins of a Legacy | Forts of Kerala | Kollam | Heritage Tourism". Kerala Tourism. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  2. ↑ QResorts Admin (3 February 2021). "St. Thomas Fort Tangasseri, Kollam". Quilon Beach Hotel. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Kollam Mayor inspects Tangasseri Fort". The Hindu. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Parishes – Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon". Kollam, India. Retrieved 2 December 2014. Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon
  5. ↑ "St Thomas Fort in Tangasseri – Kollam". Colonial Voyage. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Cotton, Julian James (1946). Baliga, B. S. (ed.). List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras: Possessing Historical or Archaeological Interest. Vol. II. Madras: Superintendent, Government Press. pp. 178–179.
  7. ↑ "Mining rampant at Tangasseri Fort". The Hindu. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Thangassery Fort – Ruins of a Legacy". Kerala Tourism. Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. November 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "Thangassery Fort – Testimony to a brave past" (PDF). Kerala Tourism. Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
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