Built in 1784, the Summer Palace at Srirangapatnam was one of Tipu's favourite retreats. Built in the Indo-Islamic style and constructed mostly of teak wood, it is situated outside the fort on the bank of river Kaveri. It is rectangular in plan and stands on a raised platform.
The garden in the palace is called Darya Daulat Bagh (the garden of the wealth of the sea). The most interesting feature of this palace is the series of murals, which depict scenes from Tipu's military career, particularly the battle of Pollilur (near Kanchipuram) in which he crushed the British forces under Colonel Bailey. The kings who owed allegiance to Tipu are also featured in these paintings. This lavishly ornamented building now houses a museum of Tipu memorabilia.
Open corridors run along its four sides with wooden pillars at the edges of the plinth. While the eastern and western wings have walls, the other two wings have recessed bays with pillars supporting the roof of the upper storey. There are four staircases for the upper storey. The most striking feature of the building is that the entire space on the walls and the roof, pillars, canopies and arches is painted artistically.
The eastern wall contains many portraits of contemporary rulers in five rows. Presently, the ground floor of the palace is utilized for Archaeological site museum amidst a garden maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.
US $ 2 or Indian Rs. 100/- per head - For Foreigners Rs 5/- per head- For Indians (Free entry to children up to 15 years)
