Pallippuram Fort

Kerala, India

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Pallippuram Fort, located on Vypin Island near Kochi in Kerala, is recognized as the oldest surviving European fort in India, built by the Portuguese in 1503.

It is a massive hexagonal structure made primarily of laterite, mortar, wood, and granite, standing about 34 feet tall. The fort features thick walls with 18 embrasures that were used to mount cannons for defense, a stone doorway, and a cellar beneath the ground floor believed to have been used for storing gunpowder.

Originally constructed to monitor trade and maritime activity along the Arabian Sea coast, it later came under Dutch control in 1661 before being sold to the Travancore kingdom in 1789. The fort’s architecture combines European styles with local materials and includes remains of old and modern chapels nearby.