Alamparai Fort

The ruins of Alamparai Fort (also called Alampara) lie near Kadapakkam, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea. Constructed during the Mughal era, the Alamparai Fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from which zari cloth, salt, and ghee were exported. In around 1760, the British destroyed a major portion of the fort and more recently the structure was damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/07/stories/2005010715140700.htm Mughal-era fort, Dutch tombs damaged] , The Hindu, January 07, 2005]

Presently it is a picturesque and serene spot with backwaters and cool sand. Local fishermen assist tourists in a pleasurable boating experience around the fort. The fort can be reached on driving down the East Coast Road, about 100 kilometers from Chennai, 50 kilometers from Pondicherry.

References

Alambarai is mentioned in several places in the diaries of Ananda Ranga Pillai, Dubash to Dupleix in French India. It was the primary port of trade for the Arcot nawabs. They had a mint there, and later, at the request of Dumas, the governor of Chennai, The People who worked in the Mints of Alambarai (it is mentioned as 'Alampuravi') moved to Pondicherry and established a mint with the approval of the Nawab of Arcot. It is a regular port of call on the Coromandel Coast. The other contemporary ports were Pulicat, Madras, Mylapore, Sadras (12 km from Mahabalipuram), Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Porto Nova, [Tranqebar] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranquebar] or Tarangambadi] , Karaikal, and Nagapattinam.

* [http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/02/14/stories/2004021400010100.htm Alamparai: Fragments of history]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/peeveeads/342547492/in/set-72157594454297432/ Photographs]