Tellicherry on the coast of Malabar

This is a view of Tellicherry on the coast of Malabar in the Kannur district. This view was originally illustrated by James Forbes (1749-1819) who arrived in Bombay as a 16-year-old in February 1766 and departed 17 years later after occupying several administrative posts with the East India Company.

Only around the end of the 17th century, when the East India Company built a factory intending to control the North Malabar pepper trade, did Tellicherry, now spelt Thalassery, become a prominent port town in colonial development. The Tellicherry fort was constructed by the Kolattiri Raja in 1708 and given to the Company to secure their factory. The East India Company obtained the exclusive rights to trade in cardamoms, and pepper, pushing Tellicherry to rise to prominence as a trading hub on the West Coast.

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