The state of Karnataka has countless protected monuments in the form of palaces, forts, colonial buildings, palatial bungalows, churches, temples, etc. The Shivappa Nayak palace made of beautiful rosewood in the city of Shimaoga is a fascinating one. It is not a palatial building, but is fairly big steeped in history. Shivappa Nayaka Palace, where the government Museum is housed is located in Shimoga city, Karnataka and is a protected monument under the management of the ASI - Archaeological Survey of India.
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| Shivappa palace, Shimoga, KA.kannadatimes.com |
Built near the banks of the river Tunga, it is named after the popular 17th century king Shivappa Nayaka of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty. Though the palace bears the name of the Nayaka king, according to art historian George Michell, the huge bungalow was actually built by the famous Mysore ruler of 18th century, Hyder Ali, a sworn enemy of the East India company. The other version is the original palace was built by Hiriya Venkatappa Nayak of the Keladi Dynasty in the 16th century (ruling as chieftains under the Vijayanagara rule). Later it was destroyed by Adil Shah of the Bijapur Sultanate. Later Shivappa Nayaka rebuilt the building into an exquisite palace in the Indo -Saracenic architectural style. When the British took over the palace from the Nayak, they converted it into a saw mill to store logs of wood, etc.
According to the locals, in the 16th century, the Maratha ruler, Rajaram, son of Chatrapthi Shivaji, when chased by the Mughal ruler Aurangazeb, sought asylam during the reign of Rani Chennamma, wife of Somashekara Nayaka. The queen allowed Rajaram to stay in her palace and tried to protect him. Infuriated Aurangazeb had sent an army to defeat the queen, but in the ensuing battle, the queen’s forces defeated the Moguls, forcing them to sign a treaty with the Nayaks.
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| Ruler Shivappa Nayak en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Equestrian statue of Shivappa Nayaka (r.1645–1660). He was a popular ruler in South India during the 17th century AD. Known as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka, he ruled the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom from 1645 to 1660 AD diligently. Generally, the Keladi Nayakas belonged to Veerashaiva Lingayath Community, He introduced ingenious tax systems which were called Sist. he was a brave warrior. The Keladi Nayakas were successors of the Vijayanagara Empire in the coastal and Malnad (hill) districts of Karnataka, India, in the late 16th century...........................
According to the locals, in the 16th century, the Maratha ruler, Rajaram, son of Chatrapthi Shivaji, when chased by the Mughal ruler Aurangazeb, sought asylam during the reign of Rani Chennamma, wife of Somashekara Nayaka. The queen allowed Rajaram to stay in her palace and tried to protect him. Infuriated Aurangazeb had sent an army to defeat the queen, but in the ensuing battle, the queen’s forces defeated the Moguls, forcing them to sign a treaty with the Nayaks.
It is a two-story building comprising a Durbar hall ("noble court") with massive wooden pillars and lobed arched panels. The living chambers at the upper level have balconies on sides from which one could look down into the hall. On display at the palace grounds -well manicured lawns are countless antiques taken/collected from the near by temples and archaeological site sand these include beautiful sculptures, inscriptions and hero stones from the Hoysala era and later periods.
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| Shivappa Nayaka Palace, KannadaTimes |
The palace has the look of a well designed, rosewood-carved wooden palatial home with wooden pillars, courtyard, Mangalore tiled roof and two narrow wooden staircases, leading to a hall with
balconies.
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| Shivappa Nayaka Palace, Shimoga, KA aravindgundumane.com |
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| Shivappa Nayaka Palace.tripoto.com |
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| Museum exhibit Vishnu (Anandasayanam pose). tripoto.com |
The museum adjoining Shivappa Nayaka’s palace has some amazing exhibits that were excavated from places around Shimoga. Some of the notable artifacts include idols depicting reclining Vishnu, Surya, Uma - Maheshvara, Bhairava and Mahisasurmardhini. Included in the exhibits are a number of memorial and Sati stones - stones carved with tales of brave warriors and women who committed Sati.
The following are the fine features of Shivappa Nayaka Palace:
01. Darbar Hall: Well supported by massive high quality wooden pillars. The main hall of the palace was meant for meetings visiting dignitaries and others. Despite the time factor, the Darbar hall building is well- preserved and it shows the quality of wood being used in the palace. Among the four rooms in the Darbar hall, one was was used to store weapons.
02. Mini Balcony: The balcony is above the Durbar hall. A stricking feature of the balcony is its railing system for exterior and interior. Since balcony is in the interior part of the palace wooden balusters are used as railing. Spindles appear to be lathe-made. The wooden balustrade with top wooden rail enhances the beauty of this palace. The nicely carved wooden pillars and motif on the walls will baffle you. The wood work was one of time-consuming jobs and the intricate wooden carvings would have taken quite a bit of time.
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| .Museum, Shivappa nayak palace, Shimoga, KA. spottedowlets.com |
03. Museum: The museum houses quite fascinating idols, statues, stone monuments and artifacts, etc of great antiquity (from the Keladi period along with the Chalukya and Hoysala eras). discovered from this region. They are all nicely preserved and presented in the Palace.
04. Garden: The palace is set in the midst of greenery. Outside of the palace lies a well-maintained garden
Shivappa Nayaka Palace is open to public from 9 AM till 6.30 PM. This Palace can be visited all through the year.
