Did you know that in the 17th century Madikeri fort of Haleri Kings of Coorg in Karnataka, captured by the British in the 19th century, the temple of Virabhadra was converted to a gothic style Anglican chuch in 1855 which also was abandoned and converted into a museum?
The Madikeri Fort in Coorg district of Karnataka, built as an imposing structure on an elevated land crowning Madikeri city, was initially built as a mud fort cum palace in the 17th century by the Haleri king Muddu Raja (1633-1687). It was eventually rebuilt with granite stones by Tipu Sultan who had named the site as Zafarabad/ Jaffarabad. In 1790, Doddavira Rajendra who had allied with the Brtishm, took control of the fort by defeating Tipu Sultan. The British strengthened the fort in 1834. The palace within this fort was renovated by Linga Rajendra II (r.1811-1820) between 1812 and 1814.
After the defeat of Tipu Sultan, the East Indian Company captured the fort which was then ruled by the Haleri King Chikka Veera Rajendra (1820-34); the Haleri King had fought valiantly against the British for several years but was betrayed by his own people. The King was captured and exiled to Bangalore, Kashi (Varanasi) and finally to London.
The palace within the fort is a two- storied lofty and spacious structure, 110 feet long. The British renovated the structure twice and in 1933 added a clock tower and a portico to park the Commissioner's car. It is now fucntioing as district offices
Inside the fort, there was a Hindu temple for lord Verabhadra which was removed by the British and replaced by an Anglican church called the St. Mark's Church. The church built in Gothic style of architecture with coloured stained glass windows, also fell into disuse and converted into museum in 1971. The museum exhibits artifacts and weaponry from the time between the fort's construction and British rule. The museum also has a large portrait of Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa; cariappa donated to the museum the various awards and gifts bestwoed on him.
In the north-east corner of the fort at the entrance there are two life size elephants made of masonry, and a church is present in the south-east corner. There is a famous Lord Ganesha temple, known as "Kote Ganapathi", just at the main entrance of the fort. Madikeri fort. There is also an old prison in the precints of the fort.
Narasipur Char
