“Thangasseri” literally means “Gold village” in Malayalam language. The place was named as Thangasseri because this was the place where trade was done using gold as the currency. Thangasseri Fort was the favorite spot of the Dutch and the Portuguese. The Thangasseri Fort was constructed in the 16th century and right now only the ruins are left behind. The fort was about 20 feet tall. In olden times, Thangasseri was of strategic importance to the colonial powers that were constantly trying to establish their control of trade on the Malabar Coast. As per records, the Portuguese initially approached the Rani of Quilon in 1517 to construct a factory at Thangasseri for trade purposes, which was granted. However, it is believed that the locals subsequently burned down the factory. Although the Portuguese were given permission to rebuild the factory, they decided to build a fort instead. In 1519, the Thangassery Fort was constructed strategically on a promontory overlooking the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea. Thangasseri was sequentially under the Dutch who defeated the Portuguese in 1761 and then passed into British hands with the rout of the Dutch at Kochi in 1795.
