Fort Emmanuel

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