JOIN USLocated in the heart of Shivamogga, amid busy streets, is a fort and a medieval palace which doubles as a museum in its new avatar. The Keladi Palace and Museum, popularly ascribed to Shivappa Nayaka, a prominent king of the Keladi dynasty, has a fascinating history, but it is not so easy to unravel its mystery.
The Keladi rulers succeeded the legendary Vijayanagar kings in the Malnad and coastal areas of Karnataka during the late 16th century and their reign lasted till the late 18th century, when they fell to Hyder Ali’s forces. Among the various monuments in the State, the Keladi Palace is under the control of Directorate of Archeology and Museums. As a part of the centenary of the Directorate established in 1885, the conservation of this palace was taken up on August 24, 1984 and completed in June 1986. Before it was renovated, the local people knew about the palace, but it was largely unknown to the rest of the world and was neglected.
It was only in the 1970s that the office bearers of the Karnataka Sangha in Shivamogga took interest in the preservation of this monument and began to draw the attention of the State government. The government decided that the monument should be protected by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. In March 1984, the directorate took over the monument from the Department of Forests, Shankar Range.
New phase
Following its renovation, the Archaeological Museum of the directorate, till then housed in a small library hall of the city municipality, was transferred to this palace and arranged for display. A garden was also raised around the monument. The architectural style of the palace is one which was prevalent during the period of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty (1500 - 1763 AD).
Although the construction of this palace is ascribed to Shivappa Nayaka (1645-1665), it is not very clear from archaeological and historical evidences as to who actually got it built. However, Shivappa Nayak appears to have a distinct role in the restoration of the palace according to inscriptions available. It is likely that the fort and the palace were constructed during the period of Sadashiva Nayaka (1540-1566) or even more likely that it was constructed during the reign of Hiriya Venkatappa Nayaka (1592 - 1619) in view of its strategic and historical importance.
In the course of the conservation work by the directorate, remains of a brick structure comprising large halls were exposed immediately to the north-western side of the palace and was actually found to be a part of it. Originally, therefore, the palace was much larger than what is extent now.
The palace probably was partially destroyed during the attack of the Bijapur Muhammed Adil Shahi’s army, which was driven away by Shivappa Nayak. Perhaps, he restored the palace after the attack and destruction. During the 18th and early period of the 19th centuries, Dhondia Wagh from Channagiri, a terrible opponent to the British, is said to have captured the fort and palace in 1799.
After the inclusion of Shimoga district in the old Mysore State, the palace was handed over to the Public Works Department. A stone plaque mentioning, MPWD 1829, was fixed into the wall of the palace. Thereafter, it was under the control of the Department of Forest. A saw mill was set up here. By this time, the historical importance of the palace fell into oblivion and its architectural beauty was hardly appreciated.
Archaeological museum
The extensive use of rosewood and teakwood, sloping roof with Mangalore tiles gives the palace a rustic look. The open courtyard has octagonal wooden pillars and 2 flights of stairs. It is flanked by rooms on either side. The upper storey has 2 rooms and 16 wooden pillars. It is believed that the balcony of the palace was used to conduct durbars.
In the 4 rooms of the ground floor and the balcony are displayed armoury, attire of the Keladi period, a few copper plate records, bronze images, which are 200-300 years old, and leather puppets of Shivamogga. Prehistoric cultural materials such as polished stone axis from the palace site and other nearby places, plaster cast models of 1st and 2nd century sculptures of Mathura School of Art and palm-leaf manuscripts are exhibited in the pavilion.
Shimoga district was ruled by dynasties like the Shatavahanas, Kadambas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Nayakas who were patrons of art. Artefacts collected from different parts of the district are exhibited in the sprawling lawns of the palace. The 10th century sculpture of Mahishasura Mardhini, the 11th century idol of Uma Maheshwara and the more recent 17th century sculpture of Jade (braid) Ganapathi are some exquisite creations on display.
In the open court and the open ground are installed stone sculptures of gods and goddesses of Shakti, Shiva and Vaishnava sects, Jain Thirthankaras, and also Mahasati and Viragallu (hero stones) dating from 9th century to 18th century AD and inscription in Kannada script and language dating from 12th to 17th century AD. Also found in the vicinity are Kote Anjaneya Swamy and Sri Bhimeshwara temples. There are remains of a bastion and indications of an ancient moat.