India · 18th century
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, in Bangalore, India, is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture and was the summer residence of the Mysorean ruler Tipu Sultan. Hyder Ali commenced its construction within the walls of the Bangalore Fort in 1781, and it was completed during the reign of Tipu Sultan 10 years later in 1791. After Tipu Sultan died in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the British Administration used the palace for its secretariat before moving to Attara Kacheri in 1868. Today the Archaeological Survey of India maintains the palace, which is located at the center of Old Bangalore near the Kalasipalya bus stand, as a tourist spot. Entry fee is ₹20 for Indian citizens, while for foreign visitors is ₹200 (US$2.10).
The structure was built entirely of teak and stands adorned with pillars, arches and balconies. It is believed that Tipu Sultan used to conduct his durbar (court) from the eastern and western balconies of the upper floor. There are four smaller rooms in the corners of first floor which were Zenana Quarters. There are beautiful floral motifs embellishing the walls of the palace. The site also holds a painting of grand throne visualized by Tipu Sultan himself. Coated with gold sheets and adorned with precious emerald stones, Tipu had vowed never to use it until he completely defeated the British Army. After Tipu Sultan, the British dismantled the throne and auctioned its parts as it was too expensive for a single person to buy whole.
The rooms in the ground floor have been converted into a small museum showcasing various achievements of Tipu Sultan and his administration. There are newly done portraits of the people and places of that time. There is a replica of Tipu Sultan's Tiger, which is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Tipu Sultan's clothes and his crown are present in silver and gold pedestals.
Text adapted from “Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace ranks #2,398 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #92 of the 224 mapped in India. Founded 1781, it is older than 13% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 696 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,580 times in the last 60 days, more than 81% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how India compares in the castle statistics.
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