Alamparai Fort

The ruins of Alamparai Fort lie near the village of Kadappakkam, on land overlooking the sea about 50 km from Mamallapuram. Built in the Mughal era, the fort stood at Alamparai, then the main trading port of the Nawabs of Arcot, which had a mint and a 100 m dockyard reaching into the water that handled exports of zari cloth, salt and ghee. In 1750 the fort was handed to the French as a reward for Dupleix's services to Muzaffar Jung; after the French defeat, the British captured it and pulled it down in 1760. The 2004 tsunami caused further damage, and parts of it now lie under the sea.

The brick and limestone remains cover about 15 acres, with tall walls, a mausoleum at the centre and brick steps up to a watch tower overlooking the area. Local fishermen take visitors on boat rides around the fort, and scenes of the 2003 Tamil film Pithamagan were shot here.