<p>My family and I recently made a two-day trip to Bagalkot to attend a wedding. During our spare time, we braved the scorching 38 degrees Celsius heat to see Kudala Sangama (the confluence of the Malaprabha and Krishna rivers), the Almatti dam, and the rock garden near it. Our taxi driver, who also acted as our guide, suggested visiting the ‘vaade’ in Kerakalamatti village the next day, and we jumped at the idea.</p>.<p>Locally, vaade denotes a large, palatial estate, typically associated with royalty or affluent families. Kerakalamatti Vaade is a prime example. Palegars (feudal lords) governed villages and oversaw justice, taxes and law enforcement in the village, in the past. They engaged scores of cooks, security personnel and labourers in their estate. </p>.<p>No one paid the workers in cash. Instead, they provided them with food, housing and grains (mainly jowar). We learn that Ramachandragouda Nadgouda, who built the Kerakalamatti Vaade, was the palegar of the then Kerur village. He possessed an unbelievable 12,000 acres of land. With the implementation of the Land Reforms Act in 1961, the government acquired this and distributed it to landless peasants.</p>.Frond, fibre and beyond.<p>Work on the private palace began in the early 1900s and was completed in 1930. Inscribed above the palace entrance in Kannada is the name, ‘Ramachandragouda Nadgouda’ and the year 1930.</p>.<p>The building, surrounded by 35-foot-high walls and spread across two-and-a-half acres, is a marvel in stone. Moving those gigantic stone blocks to the construction site without trucks in the early 1900s would have been a massive exercise.</p>.<p>Steep, narrow stairways on either side of the main gateway lead us to the upper floors. One needs to be wary while climbing, as the passage has no lighting. We learnt that back then, the walls adjoining the steps were illuminated by lanterns, but they have been removed due to maintenance issues.</p>.<p>The old washrooms had 100-feet-deep stone pipes connecting to the ground beneath. There were also slits in the walls for positioning guns. The terrace offers a panoramic view of the entire village.</p>.<p>Decorative elements, including gopuras, arched windows, floral designs and lamp niches, are featured prominently. The building also has stone chimneys, openings for natural ventilation and air, glass coverings on the roof for sunlight to pass through, a horse stable, a tonga shed, a durbar hall, a treasury, an arsenal, godowns, a records room, workers’ living rooms, multiple kitchens and a revenue collection room. A statue of a sword-wielding warrior stands prominently in the front yard.</p>.<p><strong>The ‘vaade’ today</strong></p>.<p>Unfortunately, a portion of the right wing of the building remains incomplete. We learn from the family that Ramachandragouda’s health deteriorated when it was under construction. He finally succumbed to his illness. His heirs also gave up on finishing it because of labour shortages and high maintenance costs.</p>.<p>This location, however, is now a favourite spot for filming fight sequences because of its ruined appearance and expansive open space.</p>.<p>Today, the descendants of Ramachandragouda Nadgouda live in the 200-year-old house that existed before the palatial structure. It is situated just behind the <span class="italic">vaade,</span> connected by a narrow passage. Its vintage look, with plenty of hardwood and teak, lends an old-world charm. </p>.<p>This location has hosted many Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu film and serial shoots. Girish Nadegouda’s family has waived fees for using the place to shoot movies. However, they admit that crowd control and cleanup are challenging during filming.</p>
<p>My family and I recently made a two-day trip to Bagalkot to attend a wedding. During our spare time, we braved the scorching 38 degrees Celsius heat to see Kudala Sangama (the confluence of the Malaprabha and Krishna rivers), the Almatti dam, and the rock garden near it. Our taxi driver, who also acted as our guide, suggested visiting the ‘vaade’ in Kerakalamatti village the next day, and we jumped at the idea.</p>.<p>Locally, vaade denotes a large, palatial estate, typically associated with royalty or affluent families. Kerakalamatti Vaade is a prime example. Palegars (feudal lords) governed villages and oversaw justice, taxes and law enforcement in the village, in the past. They engaged scores of cooks, security personnel and labourers in their estate. </p>.<p>No one paid the workers in cash. Instead, they provided them with food, housing and grains (mainly jowar). We learn that Ramachandragouda Nadgouda, who built the Kerakalamatti Vaade, was the palegar of the then Kerur village. He possessed an unbelievable 12,000 acres of land. With the implementation of the Land Reforms Act in 1961, the government acquired this and distributed it to landless peasants.</p>.Frond, fibre and beyond.<p>Work on the private palace began in the early 1900s and was completed in 1930. Inscribed above the palace entrance in Kannada is the name, ‘Ramachandragouda Nadgouda’ and the year 1930.</p>.<p>The building, surrounded by 35-foot-high walls and spread across two-and-a-half acres, is a marvel in stone. Moving those gigantic stone blocks to the construction site without trucks in the early 1900s would have been a massive exercise.</p>.<p>Steep, narrow stairways on either side of the main gateway lead us to the upper floors. One needs to be wary while climbing, as the passage has no lighting. We learnt that back then, the walls adjoining the steps were illuminated by lanterns, but they have been removed due to maintenance issues.</p>.<p>The old washrooms had 100-feet-deep stone pipes connecting to the ground beneath. There were also slits in the walls for positioning guns. The terrace offers a panoramic view of the entire village.</p>.<p>Decorative elements, including gopuras, arched windows, floral designs and lamp niches, are featured prominently. The building also has stone chimneys, openings for natural ventilation and air, glass coverings on the roof for sunlight to pass through, a horse stable, a tonga shed, a durbar hall, a treasury, an arsenal, godowns, a records room, workers’ living rooms, multiple kitchens and a revenue collection room. A statue of a sword-wielding warrior stands prominently in the front yard.</p>.<p><strong>The ‘vaade’ today</strong></p>.<p>Unfortunately, a portion of the right wing of the building remains incomplete. We learn from the family that Ramachandragouda’s health deteriorated when it was under construction. He finally succumbed to his illness. His heirs also gave up on finishing it because of labour shortages and high maintenance costs.</p>.<p>This location, however, is now a favourite spot for filming fight sequences because of its ruined appearance and expansive open space.</p>.<p>Today, the descendants of Ramachandragouda Nadgouda live in the 200-year-old house that existed before the palatial structure. It is situated just behind the <span class="italic">vaade,</span> connected by a narrow passage. Its vintage look, with plenty of hardwood and teak, lends an old-world charm. </p>.<p>This location has hosted many Hindi, Kannada, and Telugu film and serial shoots. Girish Nadegouda’s family has waived fees for using the place to shoot movies. However, they admit that crowd control and cleanup are challenging during filming.</p>