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Madikeri Fort also called Mercara Fort is a fort in 
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Today, the Madikeri Deputy Commissioner's Office is housed in the palace building, while St. Mark's Church, Mercara, St. Mark's Church houses the Madikeri Fort Museum, managed by the Karnataka State Archaeological Department. The museum has exhibits which display 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. The church was constructed in 1859 by soldiers of the 
File:Museum Madikeri.jpg, Archeological Museum, Madikeri Fort, India
Image:Stone turtle inside the palace.jpg, Stone turtle inside the palace
Image:Madikeri palace-within the fort.jpg, Madikeri palace-within the fort
Image:View from the fort wall.jpg, View from the fort wall
Image:Ancient inscriptions inside the fort.jpg, Hero Stones
Image:Masonry Elephants.jpg, Masonry Elephants
Madikeri Fort also called Mercara Fort is a fort in Madikeri
Madikeri is a hill station town in Madikeri taluk and headquarters of Kodagu district in Karnataka, India.
Etymology
Madikeri was known as ''Muddu Raja Keri'', which meant Mudduraja's town, was named after the prominent Haleri king Muddura ...
, in the Kodagu district
Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State.
It occupies ...
of the Indian state of Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
, first built by Mudduraja in the second half of the 17th century. Mudduraja also built the palace within the fort. It was rebuilt and restructured in granite by Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
, and the site was then renamed Jaffarabad. Madikeri Fort is one of the many forts built or rebuilt by Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
during his reign in the second half of the 18th century. In 1790, Dodda Vira Rajendra
Dodda Vira Rajendra was the ruler of the Kingdom of Coorg from 1780 to 1809. He is considered a hero of Coorg history for having freed the kingdom from the occupation of Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore. He later aided the British in their fight ...
took control of the fort. The palace underwent renovations by Linga Rajendra II
Linga Rajendra II or Linga Raja II was the ruler of Kodagu Kingdom (r.1811-1820).
He renovated Madikeri Fort
Madikeri Fort also called Mercara Fort is a fort in Madikeri, in the Kodagu district of the Indian state of Karnataka, first built b ...
from 1812-1814. The British made additions to the fort in 1834. Notable structures in the fort include two stone statues of elephants at the northeast entry and a church in the southeast corner.
]
Today, the Madikeri Deputy Commissioner's Office is housed in the palace building, while St. Mark's Church, Mercara, St. Mark's Church houses the Madikeri Fort Museum, managed by the Karnataka State Archaeological Department. The museum has exhibits which display 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. The church was constructed in 1859 by soldiers of the East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
, with funding from the Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
. The church was administered by the Madras Diocese of the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
, but was closed after Indian independence, and taken over by the Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
in 1971.
Gallery
References
{{Reflist Forts in Karnataka Tourist attractions in Kodagu district Buildings and structures in Kodagu district