Anjengo Fort Varkala

Fringed by colourful fishers' houses, 12km southeast of Varkala, this laterite-and-concrete fort was built by the British East India Company in 1695. Anchuthengu village was one of the earliest British trading posts in India; in 1721 the fort became a key site of the Attingal Rebellion against the British. Today you can clamber around its walls for views across rooftops to the sea and the adjacent lighthouse. Anjengo Fort is easily combined with a visit to Ponnumthuruthu Island, 6km northwest.