Centuries ago, there was a time, when Alamparai used to boast for its formidable fortress that it was coveted and skirmished over by warring colonial powers. However, today it is a humble story that the ruins tell us about its mighty past. 100 kms down the East Coast Road from Chennai is Kadapakkam, where the series of signboards will half-heartedly point you toward Alamparai Fort. The road is confusing; a succession of ruts and potholes skirted by the shabbiness of scum-green saline ponds and abandoned villages. Rows of asbestos-roofed houses, gangling dogs and tsunami rehabilitation shelters will greet you with a picture of deep doom.
If you reach Alamparai when the day’s light is receding behind, the place will leave you to gaze at the crumbling ramparts of what must have once been a majestic fort. Nevertheless, much of it has been gnawed away by the saline sea, which laps voraciously at the walls.
A rusty Archaeological Survey of India signboard, which itself must have seen better days, will inform you that this was the site of Idaikazhunadu, the ancient port referred to in the epic poem Siruppanatruppadai. The fort was built in the 17th century by the Carnatic Nawab Dost Ali Khan, a feudatory of the weakened Mughal Emperor. As an entry port for the trade of salt, zari cloth and ghee, Alamparai supposed to have great importance. Being a center of trade, coins, particularly the eponymous Alamparai Kasu or Varahan, were also minted here. In 1750, the fort was gifted to the French under Lord Dupleix. However, within a decade, Alamparai fell into British hands and was destroyed.
Clearly, it could not be completely razed but the elements are taking care of that. The 2004 tsunami destroyed a significant part of the sea-facing ramparts. Its innards are a wilderness of dark-limbed palmyra palms and the brick-red walls are overgrown with weeds. A shallow beachhead lies exposed at low tide strung with crab-fishing lines and littered with gaudily painted boats. The wind whistles a low lament. It is a palpable order of lingering moments, where the curtains are coming down on the historical heritage of Alamparai.
Are you interested to know more about the weary dusk that is sliding upon Alampari?
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