DEVGAMAN

South India · Fort

Bekal & Kannur

Laterite ramparts over the sea, and Theyyam gods in the groves

12.39° N · 75.03° E
The laterite ramparts and observation tower of Bekal Fort on the Kerala coast

Photo: Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 3.0

Best months to be here

  • January — a best month
  • February — a best month
  • March — a best month
  • April — a best month
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November — a best month
  • December — a best month

Best: Nov–Apr

At a glance

State
Kerala
Region
South India
Kind of place
Fort · Medieval
Ideal stay
3 days
Coordinates
12.39° N, 75.03° E

North Kerala's Kasaragod and Kannur districts feel closer to coastal Karnataka than to the backwaters, and they keep both the state's largest fort and its most electric ritual. Bekal Fort covers forty acres of laterite on a headland, built around 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi, taken by Hyder Ali, held by Tipu Sultan and handed to the East India Company in 1799; from above it reads as a keyhole, and from the observation tower the sea runs unbroken to the horizon while waves break on the rocks below. Kappil beach and the Valiyaparamba backwaters, a long lagoon fed by four rivers, lie a short drive north.

The reason to come between December and April, though, is Theyyam. In sacred groves and family shrines across Kannur, men of specific communities become deities: hours of face painting in rice paste and turmeric, headdresses several metres tall, torch-lit dancing to chenda drums, and finally the god speaking, blessing and answering questions from villagers standing a metre away. Parassinikkadavu's Muthappan temple performs daily through the year.

Kannur town adds St Angelo's Fort of 1505, the Arakkal museum of Kerala's only Muslim royal house, handloom weaving societies and Muzhappilangad, a four-kilometre beach you can legally drive along. Eat Thalassery biryani, made with short-grained kaima rice, before you leave.

What not to miss in Bekal & Kannur

  1. Bekal Fort's observation tower above the Arabian Sea
  2. A night Theyyam performance at a Kannur kavu
  3. Parassinikkadavu Muthappan Temple, where Theyyam runs daily
  4. Muzhappilangad, India's longest drive-in beach
  5. Valiyaparamba backwaters and Kappil beach
  6. St Angelo's Fort and the Arakkal Museum in Kannur

Best Nov–Apr

Best time to visit Bekal & Kannur

November to April; the Theyyam season runs roughly from December to April.

Give Bekal & Kannur 3 days and it repays the time; with fewer you are choosing between Bekal Fort's observation tower above the Arabian Sea and A night Theyyam performance at a Kannur kavu. We build the hours around the weather — early starts when it is hot, long afternoons when it is not.

  • Ideal stay — 3 days
  • Season — Nov–Apr
Plan a trip here

On the ground

Things to do in Bekal & Kannur

The days we would actually plan for you, in the order that suits the light.

  • Sit through a full Theyyam from make-up to the god's first steps
  • Drive or cycle the four kilometres of Muzhappilangad beach at low tide
  • Houseboat or canoe through the Valiyaparamba lagoon
  • Visit a Kannur handloom weaving cooperative
  • Trek the Ranipuram hills, about 60 km inland from Bekal

At the table

What to eat in Bekal & Kannur

  • Thalassery dum biryani made with kaima rice
  • Kallummakkaya nirachathu, mussels stuffed with spiced rice
  • Malabar fish curry soured with kudampuli
  • Unnakkaya and chattipathiri, Malabar tea-time sweets
  • Neer dosa with chicken sukka, a Kasaragod crossover

Getting there

How to reach Bekal & Kannur

Mangaluru International (IXE) is 65 km and Kannur International (CNN) 110 km; Kanhangad and Kasaragod stations are both within 16 km of Bekal, with Kannur 85 km south.

Airport pickups, station transfers and the driver for the days here are all part of what we arrange — including the hour you should leave, which is usually earlier than you think.

Travel tips from our trips

  • Theyyam dates are set by individual shrines and are not published far ahead; ask your host or a local guide a week before
  • Performances usually run through the night into dawn, so plan on little sleep and dress modestly at the kavu
  • Photograph Theyyam only with permission; some shrines and specific rituals forbid it outright
  • Bekal Fort has no shade and shuts at 5.30 pm, so visit late afternoon for the light
  • Muzhappilangad is drivable only at low tide and only on the hard sand; check the tide chart

Next door

Near Bekal & Kannur

Places that join Bekal & Kannur without a long drive — the way a real week is built.

Green hills, paddy fields and coffee estates in Wayanad, KeralaHill station
Themes:NatureAdventureWildlifeOffbeat

Kerala

Wayanad

Neolithic petroglyphs, coffee slopes and elephants across the border

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
October to May; the June to September monsoon is heavy and the slopes are landslide-prone
Mist over the coffee estates and forested ridges of Kodagu in KarnatakaHill station
Themes:NatureFoodCultureRomance

Karnataka

Coorg (Kodagu)

Coffee ridges, Kodava kitchens and the source of the Kaveri

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
October to March; the June to September monsoon is heavy enough to close estate tracks
The Sri Krishna Matha temple tank and tiled roofs at Udupi on the Karnataka coastTemple
Themes:SpiritualFoodNatureFamily

Karnataka

Udupi & Murudeshwar

The Krishna that turned around, and a Shiva above the sea

Ideal stay
2 days
Best time
October to March; Paryaya falls in January of even-numbered years
The entrance to the Mahabaleshwara temple in the pilgrim town of Gokarna, KarnatakaBeach
Themes:SpiritualNatureOffbeatAdventure

Karnataka

Gokarna

Pilgrim town and cliff-walk beaches on the Karwar coast

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
October to March; the sea is rough and most shacks close from June to September

Before you ask

Questions we are asked about Bekal & Kannur

When is the best time to visit Bekal & Kannur?
November to April; the Theyyam season runs roughly from December to April. On the calendar that is Nov–Apr. We build Bekal & Kannur into a journey inside that window wherever we can; when your dates are fixed outside it, we re-plan the hours of the day around the weather rather than talk you out of the trip.
How many days do you need in Bekal & Kannur?
We plan 3 days in Bekal & Kannur. That is enough for Bekal Fort's observation tower above the Arabian Sea, A night Theyyam performance at a Kannur kavu and Parassinikkadavu Muthappan Temple, where Theyyam runs daily, at a pace that still leaves room for a long lunch. Add a day if you are continuing to Wayanad and Coorg (Kodagu).
How do you reach Bekal & Kannur?
Mangaluru International (IXE) is 65 km and Kannur International (CNN) 110 km; Kanhangad and Kasaragod stations are both within 16 km of Bekal, with Kannur 85 km south. We arrange the transfer and the driver as part of the journey, so you are met on arrival instead of negotiating a taxi at the gate, and the timings are set around when Bekal & Kannur is at its best rather than around the clock.
What is Bekal & Kannur famous for?
Bekal & Kannur is a fort in Kerala, South India, best known for Bekal Fort's observation tower above the Arabian Sea, A night Theyyam performance at a Kannur kavu and Parassinikkadavu Muthappan Temple, where Theyyam runs daily. Travellers come for heritage, culture, nature and offbeat, and most give it 3 days.
Is Bekal & Kannur good for families?
Bekal & Kannur is planned more often for heritage, culture, nature and offbeat than as a family stop, but it works well at a slower pace. 3 days, an early start and one unhurried afternoon is the shape we would suggest, inside the Nov–Apr window. Tell us who is travelling and we will pace it around them.

Photograph of Bekal & Kannur: Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 3.0

All destinations

Bekal & Kannur, planned by hand

Shall we begin?

चलिए, शुरू करते हैं

Tell us how many days you have. We will build Bekal & Kannur into a journey that suits them.