<p>Shivamogga: The Shivappa Nayaka Palace in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/shivamogga">Shivamogga </a>was the first monument in Karnataka to be refurbished under the Smart Cities Project.</p>.<p>Now that it has been reopened to the public after eight years, the lack of adequate personnel, including qualified guides, is putting a dampener on the visitors’ experience of the palace.</p>.<p>Local officials have written to the Commissioner of the Department of Archaeology, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/museum">Museums</a> and Heritage asking for 20 personnel to be appointed so visitors to the palace can return with a treasure trove of fond memories.</p>.<p>Assistant Director (in-charge) of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department, Shivamogga Kumar H C said that they had outsourced visitor management to just one person. “He is doubling up as a caretaker and guide. Given that we are in the midst of a summer vacation, the number of students visiting the palace is high. We need at least 20 more personnel to run the place efficiently,” Kumar told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>The palace needs four guides, preferably those with postgraduate degrees in History, to take visitors on an informative journey through the palace, said Kumar. “We also need two gardeners to tend to the lawn, four helpers, an electrician, someone to man the ticket counter and other Group D staff. A tender will soon be invited for appointing staff to the palace. Gallery assistants will also need to work as guides,” he added.</p>.<p>Once the ticket vending machine is installed, tickets, priced at Rs 20, will be dispensed through the machine itself, said Kumar.</p>.Lakkundi and beyond: Karnataka's heritage beneath beckons.<p>Among the delights that visitors to the palace can look forward to include a 20-minute documentary on the history of Shivamogga district, interpretative screens installed in the palace’s galleries, among others. These immersive screens provide information on various historical artefacts, rare objects, stone sculptures, idols that were excavated by ASI and rockets dating back to the days of Hyder Ali.</p>.<p>Augmented and virtual reality technology employed at the palace bring the various historical artefacts to life, which visitors can actually touch and feel. Galleries narrating the history of the place dating back to the pre-historic era will be set up at the palace, said sources.</p>.<p>The Shivappa Nayaka Palace was constructed by Venkatappa Nayaka of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty in the 17th century.</p>
<p>Shivamogga: The Shivappa Nayaka Palace in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/shivamogga">Shivamogga </a>was the first monument in Karnataka to be refurbished under the Smart Cities Project.</p>.<p>Now that it has been reopened to the public after eight years, the lack of adequate personnel, including qualified guides, is putting a dampener on the visitors’ experience of the palace.</p>.<p>Local officials have written to the Commissioner of the Department of Archaeology, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/museum">Museums</a> and Heritage asking for 20 personnel to be appointed so visitors to the palace can return with a treasure trove of fond memories.</p>.<p>Assistant Director (in-charge) of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage Department, Shivamogga Kumar H C said that they had outsourced visitor management to just one person. “He is doubling up as a caretaker and guide. Given that we are in the midst of a summer vacation, the number of students visiting the palace is high. We need at least 20 more personnel to run the place efficiently,” Kumar told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>The palace needs four guides, preferably those with postgraduate degrees in History, to take visitors on an informative journey through the palace, said Kumar. “We also need two gardeners to tend to the lawn, four helpers, an electrician, someone to man the ticket counter and other Group D staff. A tender will soon be invited for appointing staff to the palace. Gallery assistants will also need to work as guides,” he added.</p>.<p>Once the ticket vending machine is installed, tickets, priced at Rs 20, will be dispensed through the machine itself, said Kumar.</p>.Lakkundi and beyond: Karnataka's heritage beneath beckons.<p>Among the delights that visitors to the palace can look forward to include a 20-minute documentary on the history of Shivamogga district, interpretative screens installed in the palace’s galleries, among others. These immersive screens provide information on various historical artefacts, rare objects, stone sculptures, idols that were excavated by ASI and rockets dating back to the days of Hyder Ali.</p>.<p>Augmented and virtual reality technology employed at the palace bring the various historical artefacts to life, which visitors can actually touch and feel. Galleries narrating the history of the place dating back to the pre-historic era will be set up at the palace, said sources.</p>.<p>The Shivappa Nayaka Palace was constructed by Venkatappa Nayaka of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty in the 17th century.</p>