Madikeri Palace in a shambles due to poor maintenance

The Madikeri fort, which is referred to as “Palace”, is in a shambles owing to the apathy of the Archaeological Department.

The roof of the palace which has withstood rain and wind for the last several decades has weakened and is now on the verge of collapse.

The palace was built during the reign of Linga Raja Wodeyar II in 1812.

The seepage of water has resulted in cracks on the walls of the palace. The palace has not seen whitewash and painting for the last several years and has lost its colour.

Without any maintenance, the huge doors are losing its charm. Several spots on the fort’s roof now leak when it rains.

It was said that Haleri ruler Mudduraja had built Madikeri Palace in 1681.

Later, the palace was rebuilt in 1812. Initially, the roof of the palace was made of straw. It was the British who renovated the palace with roof tiles.

Kaveri Nagara resident B A Sheshappa said: “It is a tragedy that the Madikeri Fort is losing its charm and past glory.”

Due to the shortage of government buildings in Madikeri, the palace houses the Zilla Panchayat, MLA’s office and MLC’s office.

In addition, there is a district library and court complex which functions from the premises.

As the fort is situated adjacent to the main road, it reminds people of the past glory of Kodagu. A large number of visitors visit the fort daily.

The two rock-cut elephants, Kote Ganapathi temple and museum inside the church in the premises are visited by a large number of tourists daily.

Stonehill resident K Raju said, “The fort is one of the tourist spots in Kodagu district. Owing to lack of maintenance, it has lost its glory. The Department of Archeology should give priority to the conservation of the fort.”