Tipu's summer lodge at Nandi Hills to get a facelift soon

The 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan’s summer lodge at Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapur district is all set to get a facelift. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun conservation work to restore the dilapidated structure. A centrally-protected monument, the summer lodge is believed to have been a camping place for Tipu during his hunting expeditions.

ASI, Bengaluru Circle Superintending Archaeologist Shivakant Bajpai told DH that conservation work began recently and the ASI is expected to finish the first phase of the works by monsoon this year. “Conservation work is difficult and always takes time. We are hoping to complete at least the roof work by the rainy season,” he said.

The conservation will take into account the material used for construction when the structure was built. Most of the Sultanate period monuments were built using lime mortar and the same material would be used for conservation work too as far as possible.

“You will see the same thing even in the Tipu Summer Palace in Bengaluru,” the official explained. Further, the teak pillars in the lodge damaged by termites would be replaced with the same material.

The ASI plans to develop the surroundings of the structure with a lawn, in an effort to attract tourists. Officials in the ASI said the Tipu Summer Lodge was believed to have served as a temporary camp for the ruler whenever he went on a hunting expedition there.

The ASI officials did not elaborate on the funds required for the project. “We will use whatever funds have been granted for the Bengaluru Circle. We expect to complete phase one this year and take up the rest of the work next year,” another official added.

Explaining the significance of the monument, Meera Iyer, researcher and convener, INTACH, said the Tipu lodge was built before his era, probably in the 16th century.

“It’s a typical lintel-and-beam construction of stone. It is on top of this that Tipu added some rooms, which display some typical Islamic features such as stucco work decorations. It is likely that Tipu himself spent quite a bit of time in Nandi Hills, especially during the summers. In the early 1930s, the building housed a supervisor’s office and a post office on the first floor and a small clinic and a police outpost on the ground floor,” she said.