Thalassery

Thalassery, known to the English as Tellicherry, lies on the northern Malabar coast amid country producing pepper and cardamom. The East India Company established a trading post here in 1683 with the agreement of local chiefs under the Kolathiri rulers. Merchants brought spices from the interior to the coastal market, making the settlement a valuable foothold for the Company.

In 1708 the Company built a laterite fort on a hill beside the sea. Its high walls and bastions protected the growing trade, and a prince of the ruling family took part in laying its foundation. During the eighteenth century the Company obtained further privileges and extended its influence into neighbouring territory. The fort became a centre of British power on a coast where local rulers and European companies competed for control of the spice trade.