Located in the heart of the Shivamogga, amidst busy streets, lies a fort and a medieval palace, which now also 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 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 the Directorate of Archeology and Museums. As a part of the centenary of the Directorate established in 1885, the conservation of this Palace was taken on 24th August, 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 mid-seventies that the office bearers of the Karnataka Sangha in Shimoga took interest in the preservation of this monument and began to draw the attention of the 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 Forest, Shankar Range..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 (C.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 evidence as to who actually built it. However, Shivappa Nayak appears to have a distinct role in the restoration of the Palace according to inscription 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 the Palace. Originally therefore the Palace was much larger than what is extant now..The Palace was probably partially destroyed during the attack of the Bijapur Muhammed Adil Shah's army which was driven away by Shivappa Nayak. He probably restored the Palace after the attack and destruction.During the 18th and early period of the 19th centuries Dhondiya 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. There was a stone plaque mentioning MPWD 1829 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 museumThe extensive use of rosewood and teak wood, sloping roof with Mangalore tiles gives the Palace a rustic look. The open courtyard has octagonal wooden pillars and two flights of stairs. It is flanked by rooms on either side. The upper storey has two rooms and sixteen wooden pillars. It is believed that the balcony of the palace was used to conduct durbars.In the four 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 two to three hundred years old and leather puppets of Shimoga..Prehistoric cultural materials such as polished stone axes 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 including the Satavahanas, 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 Veeragallu (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 sound in the vicinity are Kote Anjaneya Swamy and Sri Bhimeswara temples. There are remains of a bastion and indications of an ancient moat.
