Marthanda Pillai was born in an aristocratic house in Punachal Elakkara near Kuzhikode near Palliyadi in Kanyakumari district.

Later it was modified under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the Dutch East India Company, who became commander of the Travancore Army (the very army that defeated him in the Battle of Colachel) in the 18th century, after he earned the trust of the Travancore King Marthanda Varma.

De Lannoy reconstructed Vattakottai, as part of the defence-fortifications he undertook throughout Travancore.

A major renovation of the fort was undertaken recently by the department, and the site is now a popular tourist spot.

Vattakottai Fort commands a picturesque view of both the sea on the one side, and the hills (Western Ghats) on the other.