Fort Emmanuel

Table of Contents☰

About Fort Emmanuel

It is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi Beach in Kochi, Kerala.
It was originally built in 1503 and reinforced in 1538.
It was a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Maharajah of Kochi and the Monarch of Portugal, after whom it was named.
It was a massive structure, and the entire township was within its confines.
It greatly helped in strengthening the Portuguese occupation of the area.
Fort Kochi remained in Portuguese possession until 1683, when the Dutch colonial troops captured the territory and destroyed the Portuguese institutions.
The Dutch held the fort in their possession until 1795, when the British took control by defeating the Dutch.
By 1806, the Dutch, and later the British, had destroyed most of the fort walls and its bastions.
Foreign control of Fort Kochi ended in 1947 with Indian independence.
Now only the remains of this fort exist, reminding us of its historic significance.

Q1: What is laterite?

Laterite is a surface formation that is enriched in iron and aluminum. Found mainly in hot, wet tropical areas, it develops by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. Laterite formations in non-tropical areas are products of former geological epochs. Some laterites are valuable for their ore content.

Source: Call to conserve the ‘fort’ in Fort Kochi