Alamparai Fort, Edaikazhinadu
– History
Alamparai
was an ancient seaport during Tamil Sangam period and finds mention in Sangam
Literature, Sirupanatrupadai. Alamparai
was also called as Idaikazhinadu, Alamparva and Alampuravi. The
fort was built during the Mughal era between 1736 and 1740 CE.
The fort was initially under the control of the Nawab of Arcot, Doste Ali Khan
and was later given to the French. It was the primary port of trade for
the Arcot Nawabs.
The
Arcot Nawabs had a mint in this
fort. Dumas, the French Governor General for Pondicherry and Reunion,
requested the Nawab of Arcot for help in establishing a mint in Pondicherry.
The Nawab sent the people from the mints of Alamparai to Pondicherry to
establish the mint in Pondicherry. It was a regular port of call on
the Coromandel Coast on its heydays.
The
other contemporary ports were Pulicat, Madras, Mylapore, Sadras,
Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Porto Nova, Tharangambadi, Karaikal, and
Nagapattinam. Alamparai is mentioned in several places in the diaries
of Ananda Ranga Pillai, Dubash to Dupleix, Governor General of French
India. The French lost the control of the
fort to the British after the Carnatic wars.
The
fort came under the direct control of the British and was demolished in
1760 CE. The
fort experienced further damages during the Indian Ocean
tsunami in 2004 and portions of the dilapidated fort remains under the
sea. The coins minted during the rule of Nawabs and the arms and ammunition
used by the Nawabs and French were also found during the excavations carried
out in the
fort.
The
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) listed the fort as one of
twenty lesser known tourist spots in the state. The Corporation listed the
fort in the international tourism fair held at Berlin. The
fort is pictured in several commercials and cinema. Portions
of Pithamagan, a 2003 Tamil film, starring popular actors Suriya and Vikram,
was shot in the
fort. This
fort is under the control Archaeological Survey of India.