Alamparai Fort The ruins of Alamparai Fort ( also called Alampara ) lie near Kadappakkam , a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea . Constructed in the late 17th century during the Mughal era , the Alamparai Fort once had a 100 - metre long dockyard stretching into the sea , from which zari cloth , salt , and ghee were exported . During 1735 AD it was ruled by Nawab Doste Ali Khan . In 1750 , for the services rendered by the famous French commander Duplex to Subedar Muzarfarzang , the fort was gifted to the French . When French were defeated by the British , the fort was captured and destroyed in 1760 AD . More recently the structure was damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake . History . Alamparai was a seaport in historical times . The place had other names like Idaikazhinadu , Alamparva and Alampuravi . The fort was built during the Mughal era between 1736 and 1740 CE . The fort was initially under the control of the Nawab of Arcot , Doste Ali Khan , and was later gifted to the French . After the Carnatic wars , when the French lost to British , the fort came under the direct control of the British and was demolished in 1760 . Alamparai is mentioned in several places in the diaries of Ananda Ranga Pillai , Dubash to Dupleix in French India . It was the primary port of trade for the Arcot nawabs . They had a mint there , and later , at the request of Dumas , the governor of Madras Presidency , The People who worked in the Mints of Alambarai ( it is mentioned as ' Alampuravi ' ) moved to Pondicherry and established a mint with the approval of the Nawab of Arcot . It was a regular port of call on the Coromandel Coast , having a dockyard . The other contemporary ports were Pulicat , Madras , Mylapore , Sadras ( 12 km from Mahabalipuram ) , Pondicherry , Cuddalore , Porto Nova , Tharangambadi ( Tranquebar ) , Karaikal , and Nagapattinam . The fort experienced further damages during the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2005 and portions of the dilapidated fort remains under the sea . A team of archaeologists found out coins minted during the rule of Nawabs . Some rare artifacts like the arms and ammunition used by the Nawabs and French were also found in fort . Architecture . The fort can be reached on driving down the East Coast Road , about from Chennai , from vedal and from Pondicherry ( Puducherry ) . Local fishermen assist tourists in a boating experience around the fort . The fort covers an area of . The fort is built of bricks and limestone and at its centre there is a mausoleum . There are tall walls around the fort and brick steps lead to the top . The watch tower from the fort provides good view of the surroundings . Culture . There are references to the region in Sangam literature " Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai " as a trade post . As of 2011 , the fort received an average of 25 , 000 visitors every year . The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation ( TTDC ) listed the fort as one of twenty lesser known tourist spots in the state . The Corporation listed the fort in the international tourism fair held at Berlin . The fort is pictured in several commercials and cinema . Portions of Pithamagan , a 2003 Tamil film , starring popular actors Suriya and Vikram , was shot in the fort .