Fort st Angelo is situated facing the Arabian sea in Kannur district 4 km away from the city. Also known as Kannur fort, this fort is at a height of 40 feet from the sea level. Don Fransisco de Almeida built this fort in 1505. He completed the initial shape of the fort within five months of starting the work in the land of kolathiri raja. The portugese ruled the fort for 158 years and in 1663, the Dutch confiscated this fort and reduced its size to contain expenses. Dutch inscriptions relating to the burial of the Dutch commandant’s wife and children during 1745-55 period can be seen here. After ruling the fort for 110 years , they sold it for 100000 rupees to Ali raja of arakkal kingdom. In 1790 the british conquered the fort and it became an important military center for the British. It is believed that there is a tunnel running under the sea connecting Kannur fort to Talassery fort , 21 kilometers away , believed to be meant for the escape of soldiers. Mappila bay harbor and arakkal mosque are nearby attractions. Currently this fort is preserved by the Archaeological department of India. During excavations made for organizing more facilities for visitors, around 1500 cannon balls varying in size from orange to coconut were found and subsequent exploration revealed around 13000 cannon balls weighing 250 gms to 9 kg. In the final tally there were 35950 cannon balls spread upto the fort wall, some broken , some hollow. Since 4 forces-Portugese, dutch, arakkal and British have handled this fort it is not clear who used the cannon balls, which may become clear in subsequent research. Experts believe that the cannon balls were made in thuthukkudy or Malabar.
