Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven
Taluks
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
of
Mandya district
Mandya District is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district is bordered on the south by Mysore and Chamarajangar districts, on the west by Hassan District, on the north by Tumkur District and on the east by Ramanagara ...
, in the
Indian
State of
Karnataka. It gets its name from the
Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city was renamed to Seringapatnam. Located near the city of
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district and is located from Mysore and from Bangalore.
Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar city (which in Kannada mean ...
, it is of religious, cultural and historic importance.
The monuments on the island town of Srirangapatna have been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.
History
Srirangapatna has since time immemorial been an urban center and place of pilgrimage. During the
Vijayanagar empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Maharash ...
, it became the seat of a major viceroyalty, from where several nearby vassal states of the empire, such as Mysore and
Talakad
Talakadu (ತಲಕಾಡು) is a town on the left bank of the Kaveri river 45 km (28 miles) from Mysore and 133 km (82 miles) from Bangalore in Karnataka, India. Latinizations of the towns name vary, but include Talkād, Talakadu, Ta ...
, were overseen. When perceiving the decline of the Vijayanagar empire, the rulers of Mysore ventured to assert independence, Srirangapatna was their first target.
Raja Wodeyar I
Raja Wodeyar I (2 June 1552 – 20 June 1617) was ninth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was eldest son of Chamaraja Wodeyar IV, the seventh maharaja of Mysore. He ruled from 1578, after his cousin Chamaraja Wodeyar V's death, until his ...
vanquished Rangaraya, the then viceroy of Srirangapatna, in 1610 and celebrated the ''
Navaratri
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...
'' festival in the town that year. It came to be accepted in time that two things demonstrated control and signified sovereignty over the Kingdom of Mysore by any claimant to the throne, including the successful holding of the 10-day-long ''Navaratri'' festival, dedicated to
Chamundeshwari, patron goddess of Mysore and control of the fort of Srirangapatna, the fortification nearest to the capital city of Mysore.
Srirangapatna remained part of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1610 to after India's independence in 1947; as the fortress closest to the capital city of Mysore, it was the last bastion and defence of the kingdom in case of invasion.
Hyder and Tipu
Srirangapatna became the capital of Mysore under
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
and
Tipu Sultan. When Tipu finally dispensed with the charade of deference to the Wodeyar
Maharaja who was actually his captive, and proclaimed the "Khudadad State" under his own kingship, though the then incumbent Wodeyar scion
Chamaraja Wodeyar IX
Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (28 February 1774 – 17 April 1796) was the twenty-first maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1776 for two decades until 1796.
Life
Chamaraja Wodeyar IX was a son of Chikka Devaraj Urs of Arikuthara of the Karugahalli ...
was still officially the king of Mysore.
During Tipu Sultan's wars against the British, Kodavas, and Malabar rajas; he rounded up entire communities of
Nairs
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
,
Kodavas
The Kodava people or Kodavas are an ethno-linguistic group from the region of Kodagu district, Kodagu in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, who natively speak the Kodava language. They are traditionally land-owning agriculturists and pat ...
, and
Mangalorean Catholic
Mangalorean Catholics ( kok, Kōdiyālcheñ Kathōlikā) are an ethno-religious community of Latin Catholics in India typically residing in the Diocese of Mangalore in the erstwhile South Canara area, by the southwestern coast of present-day Ka ...
s in the conquered regions and deported them to Srirangapatna, where they were held in bondage until they received freedom from captivity as a result of Tipu's defeat by the British in 1799.
Treaty of Seringapatam, 1792
The Treaty of Seringapatam (also called Srirangapatna), signed 18 March 1792, ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis on behalf of the British East India Company, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha Empire, and Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.
Battle of Seringapatam, 1799
Srirangapatna was the scene of the last and decisive battle of the
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, fought in 1799 between
Tipu Sultan, ruler of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
, and a combined force of 50,000 men provided equally by the
Nizam of Hyderabad
The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
and the
East India Company, under the overall command of
General George Harris.
At the battle's climax, Tipu Sultan was killed within the fort of Seringapatam, betrayed by one of his own confidants. The spot where he fell is today marked by a memorial. Although the joint forces of the victorious army plundered Seringapatam and ransacked Tipu's palace, much of the site of the battle is still intact, including the ramparts, the Water Gate, the area where British prisoners were held, and the site of the destroyed palace.
Apart from the usual gold and cash, innumerable other valuables were shipped to England, including ''objets d'art'' and personal possessions of Tipu Sultan such as his rich clothing, shoes, sword, and firearms. Most of these remain in the British
Royal Collection and in the
Victoria and Albert Museum, the latter of which holds
Tipu's Tiger
Tipu's Tiger or Tippu's Tiger is an eighteenth-century automaton or mechanical toy created for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India. The carved and painted wood casing represents a tiger mauling a near life-size European man ...
, an
automaton
An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...
of a tiger on top of a British soldier. The sword of Tipu Sultan was purchased at a
Sotheby's auction by
Vijay Mallya, a liquor baron from
Karnataka.
British composer
Harriet Wainwright
Harriet Wainwright Stewart (c. 1766–1843) was a British composer, singer, and writer. A musical entrepreneur, she developed a subscription list of several hundred people and sold at least two of her compositions (''Comala'' and ''Seringapatam'') ...
composed a work for chorus ("Seringapatam") about the battle.
Location
Although situated only from
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
city, Srirangapatna lies in the neighbouring district of
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district and is located from Mysore and from Bangalore.
Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar city (which in Kannada mean ...
. The entire town is enclosed by the river
Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
to form a
river island, the northern half of which is shown in the adjacent image. While the main river flows on the eastern side of the island, the ''Paschima Vaahini'' segment of the same river flows to its west. The town is easily accessible by train from
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and Mysore and is also well-connected by road, lying as it does just off the Bangalore-Mysore
National Highway 275. The highway passes through this town and special care was taken to minimize any impact on the monuments.
Religious significance
The town takes its name from the celebrated
Ranganathaswamy temple which dominates the town, making Srirangapatna one of the most important
Vaishnavite centers of pilgrimage in
South India. The temple was built by the
Ganga dynasty rulers of the area in the 9th century; the structure was strengthened and improved upon architecturally some three centuries later. Thus, the temple is a medley of the
Hoysala and
Vijayanagar
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Maharash ...
styles of
temple architecture.
Tradition holds that all the islands formed in the
Kaveri River are consecrated to Sri Ranganathaswamy (PrabhaVishnu mentioned in Vishnu SahasraNamah) and large temples have been built in very ancient times dedicated to that deity on the three largest islands. The Srirangapatna temple is one of the three temples of the God
Ranganatha
Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form o ...
(Adi Ranga) that are situated in the natural islands formed in the Kaveri river. They are:
*Adi Ranga: the
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangapatna, Srirangapatna taluk,
Mandya district
Mandya District is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district is bordered on the south by Mysore and Chamarajangar districts, on the west by Hassan District, on the north by Tumkur District and on the east by Ramanagara ...
,
Karnataka,
India
*Madhya Ranga: the
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Shivanasamudra
Shivanasamudra Falls is a waterfall on the border of Malavalli taluk, Mandya district and Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagara district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated along the river Kaveri, which forms here the boundary to the ...
,
Kollegala taluk,
Chamarajanagara district,
Karnataka,
India
*Antya Ranga: the
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at
Srirangam,
Srirangam taluk
Srirangam taluk is a taluk of Tiruchirapalli district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A ...
,
Tiruchirappalli district,
Tamil Nadu,
India
The presence of the Kaveri River is in itself considered auspicious and sanctifying. The ''Paschima Vaahini'' section of the Kaveri at Srirangapatna is considered especially sacred; the pious come from far and wide to immerse the ashes of the departed and perform obsequies to their ancestors in these waters.
Demographics
According to the 2011 India Census Data, Srirangapatna had a population of 155,130 persons. Males constitute 50.06% and females constitute 49.93% of the total population. 9.80% of the population are under 6 years of age.
Geography
Srirangapatna is at . It has an average elevation of 679 metres (2227 feet). Srirangapatna ''Sangama'' is the confluence of the three holy streams creating the island. Located 27 km upstream from the town is the spectacular
Shivanasamudra Falls
Shivanasamudra Falls is a waterfall on the border of Malavalli taluk, Mandya district and Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagara district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated along the river Kaveri, which forms here the boundary to the ...
, the second biggest waterfall in
India and the 16th largest in the world.
Places of interest
The town is famous for a very ancient temple dedicated to Sri
Ranganatha
Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form o ...
swamy, a form of Lord
Vishnu. There is also Kalyani Siddhi Vinayaka Temple in front of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Other temples in Srirangapatna include the Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple, Jyothi Mahaswara Temple, Bidhcotta Ganesha Temple, Panduranga Swamy Temple, the Sathyanarayana Swamy Temple, the Anjunaya Swamy Temple, the Ayyapa Temple, the Gangadhareswara Swamy Temple, and RaganathaNagara Ganesha Temple, Lakshmi Temple, Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt on Old Post Office Road, surrounding Srirangapatna in fort 8 Ganesh & Anjunaya temples. The
Karighatta (Black Hill) and its temple of Lord
Srinivasa
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology
Venkatesw ...
is a few kilometres from the town. The deity is Kari-giri-vasa (one who resides on the black hill). The renowned
Nimishambha Temple is about 2 km from the town. Srirangapatna also hosts the summer palace of Tipu Sultan and his mausoleum.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
File:Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna - Zoomed.jpg, Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna
File:Sriragapatna14.jpg, Elephant Gate
The Ranganthaswamy Temple – usually referred to as "Sri Ranganathaswamy" – is dedicated to
Ranganatha
Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form o ...
, a manifestation of
Vishnu. It is one of the five important pilgrimage sites along the river Kaveri for devotees of Ranganatha. These five sacred sites are together known as ''Pancharanga Kshetrams'' in Southern India. Since Srirangapatna is the first temple starting from upstream, the deity is known as Adi Ranga (lit; "first Ranga"), and the town of Srirangapatna, which derives its name from the temple, is on an island in the river Kaveri.
Daria Daulat Bagh
daria daulat.jpg, Palace of Tipu Sultan
Madrasah1.jpg, The Juma Masjid
The ''Dariya Daulat Palace'' (Summer Palace) is set amidst beautiful gardens called Daria Daulat Bagh. Tippu Sultan built this palace in 1784. The palace is built in the Indo-Saracenic style is mostly made of teakwood. The palace has a rectangular plan and is built on a raised platform.
Other attractions in Srirangapatna include the ''Jumma Masjid'' (a
Mosque) and the Daria Daulat Gardens. The mosque has stone Arabic inscriptions which mention the 99 titles given to the almighty Allah, and the
Farsi inscriptions which mentions that the Jamia Masjid called Masjid-E-Ala was built in AD 1782 by Tipu Sultan.
Tipu Sultan Gumbaz
The ''Gumbaz'' is an impeccably detailed mausoleum and houses the remains of Tipu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali and his mother Fatima Begum among beautifully manicured gardens. Various tombs of other relatives surround the ''gumbaz'', some with small signs offering guidance on which specific individuals are buried here. The outer ''gumbaz'' columns are made of
amphibolite
Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flak ...
, a very dark rock that exudes a somber richness. Handcrafted door frames covered in a deep lacquer finish lead into an inner tomb illuminated only by natural light. All visitors are welcome inside, and even encouraged to enter by the friendly doormen.
Wellesley Bridge
Wellesley Bridge was erected by Kingdom of Mysore's
Dewan,
Purnaiah
Purnaiah (Purniya) (1746 – 27 March 1812), aka Krishnacharya Purniya or Mir Miran Purniya was an Indian Administrator and statesman and the 1st Diwan of Mysore. He has the rare distinction of governing under a sultan and a maharaja, Ti ...
on the Kaveri river in 1804. It was named after the then Governor General Marquis of Wellesley. The bridge is built of stone pillars and stone corbels and surrounded by stone girders. The bridge is very strong and has survived the heavy traffic of many years.
Karighatta viewpoint
The
Karighatta viewpoint gives good panorama of Mysore and Srirangapatna cities from a height of 3,000 feet. Karighatta is a hill a few kilometres outside the 'island' town of Srirangapatna. The name Karighatta translates to "Black Hill" in
Kannada. The hill supports the dry scrub jungle and many
tamarind and
gooseberry trees are found around the temple. A small river, Lokapavani, a tributary of
Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
flows by the hill. The main entrance to the temple, with huge wooden doors opens into a large quadrangle, which is the main shrine for Vaikunta
Srinivasa
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology
Venkatesw ...
in black stone, flanked by Yoga
Srinivasa
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology
Venkatesw ...
(without his consort) and Bhoga
Srinivasa
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology
Venkatesw ...
idols. The hill may be climbed by stone steps (450 in number). A winding paved road is used for vehicular transport. The stone steps lead to a flat hilltop where the temple stands. The hillock has a superb panoramic view of Srirangapatna and
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
. The beautiful landscape around the hill and the confluence of the
Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
and Lokapavani rivers can be seen from atop the hill.
Nimishamba Temple
The famous
Nimishamba (the incarnation of
Parvathi
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...
, the goddess wife of Lord
Shiva) temple is on the bank of the Lokapavani river. This temple too can be clearly seen from the top of the
Karighatta hill. It is a belief that
Parvathi
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...
will clear all the problems and troubles of her devotees within a minute (''nimisha'' in
Sanskrit), and hence the name.
Garrison Cemetery, Srirangapatna
The Garrison Cemetery is located in Srirangapatna, on the banks of the river
Cauvery
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
, about 300m from the Bangalore Mysore Highway. It has about 307 graves of the European officers killed in the
final assault on
Tippu 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 ...
in 1799, and their family members. Among the graves, there are 80 graves of the officers of the Swiss
Regiment de Meuron
The Regiment de Meuron was a regiment of infantry originally raised in Switzerland in 1781 for service with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). At the time the French, Spanish, Dutch and other armies employed units of Swiss mercenaries. The regime ...
, and the rest of the graves are their family members.
Scott’s Bungalow, Seringapatam
The Scott’s Bungalow is located in
Seringapatam
Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city wa ...
on the banks of the river
Cauvery
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
, at about half a mile from the Mysore Gate of the Seringapatam gate.
The bungalow was the residence of Col. Scott, an officer of the
Madras Army who took part in the
siege of Seringapatam in 1799. The bungalow is associated with the legend and tragedy of Col. Scott. The story of Scott’s Bungalow is lamented in a poem by Walter Yeldham called ''The Deserted Bungalow'', published in 1875.
Lord Harris's House
Between the
Garrison Cemetery and
Scott’s Bungalow a path leads to house on the river banks. This house is known as ''Lord Harris's House'' or ''The Doctor's Bungalow'' or ''Puraniah's Bungalow''. This house was the residence of General Harris, for a short time after the
siege of Seringapatam in 1799, and went on to become headquarters of the commanding officer of Seringapatam. In 1809, the house was the scene of a mutiny by officers of the
Madras Army, led by Col. Bell, against Sir. George Barlow, the Governor of Madras.
Purnaiah
Purnaiah (Purniya) (1746 – 27 March 1812), aka Krishnacharya Purniya or Mir Miran Purniya was an Indian Administrator and statesman and the 1st Diwan of Mysore. He has the rare distinction of governing under a sultan and a maharaja, Ti ...
, lived in this house after his retirement from service in 1811, and died there on 28 March 1812. A tablet on the wall records the connection of Lord Harris and Puraniah to the house.
Srirangapatna Fort
The fortress is in the west of the island, and is surrounded by double walls. The point at which the British broke through the walls, and thus Tipu Sultan's troops surprised, is marked by an obelisk. Also highlighted is the place where Tipu Sultan was killed by the British forces. In addition, the dungeon in which the Mysore rulers had imprisoned British soldiers.
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon
This was the place where Tipu Sultan used to imprison all the British officers. It is near the death place memorial of Tipu Sultan and is surrounded by gardens on all four sides. Bailey was the only British officer who died in that place and could not make it through the tough conditions and so it was later named after him.
Another version says that the commanding officer of the British at the
Battle of Pollilur (1780)
The Battle of Pollilur (a.k.a. Pullalur), also known as the Battle of Polilore or Battle of Perambakam, took place on 10 September 1780 at Pollilur near Conjeevaram, the city of Kanchipuram in present-day Tamil Nadu state, India, as part of the ...
, Col. Baillie, was imprisoned here after the defeat of his troops in the
First Mysore War
The First Anglo-Mysore War (1766–1769) was a conflict in India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the East India Company. The war was instigated in part by the machinations of Asaf Jah II, the Nizam of Hyderabad, who sought to divert the ...
.
Obelisk Monument
Obelisk in Srirangapatna is a memorial erected by the then government of Mysore in memory of the English soldiers died during the siege of Srirangapatna. The Memorial was built during the reign of
Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; 4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is popularly called '' Rajarshi'' ( sa, rājarṣi, li ...
in 1907, to celebrate the defeat of Tipu in 1799. The inscription on the plaque reads "This monument is erected by the government of Mysore in 1907 in order to commemorate the siege of Seringapatam by the British forces under lieutenant general G. Harris (
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris GCB (18 March 1746 – 19 May 1829) was a British soldier.
Military career
Harris was the son of the Reverend George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and at the Roya ...
) and its final capture by assault on 4 May 1799. As also the names of those gallant officers who fell during the operations."
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
Near the town is the
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (also known as ''Pakshi Kashi of Karnataka''), is a bird sanctuary in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka in India. It is the largest bird sanctuary in the state, in area, and comprises six islets on the b ...
, where several
bird species breed, including the
painted stork,
open-billed stork,
black-headed ibis,
river tern
The Indian river tern or just river tern (''Sterna aurantia'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Iran east into the Indian Subcontinent and further to Myanmar to Thailand, where it is uncommon. ...
,
great stone plover and
Indian shag
The Indian cormorant or Indian shag (''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis'') is a member of the cormorant family. It is found mainly along the inland waters of the Indian Subcontinent but extending west to Sind and east to Thailand and Cambodia. It is a g ...
.
In literature
*
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written '' The Saxon ...
's ''
Sharpe's Tiger
''Sharpe's Tiger'' is the fifteenth (though first in chronological order) historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell and was first published in 1997. It acts as a prequel to the "original" Sharpe series, which begins in ...
'' is a fictionalised account of the Battle of Seringapatam. It concentrates on the exploits of the fictional character of Richard Sharpe, and the historic Arthur Wellesley, later the
Duke of Wellington.
*
Wilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for ''The Moonstone'' (1868), which has be ...
' ''
The Moonstone
''The Moonstone'' (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. The story was serialised in Charles Di ...
''
includes a prologue that takes place during the Battle of Srirangapatna, entitled "The Storming of Seringapatam (1799)," during which a British officer steals a sacred Hindu diamond that becomes the mystery at the centre of the novel.
*
John Forster mentions in ''The Life of Charles Dickens'' that in a childhood playground of C.D., "he had been... delivered from the dungeons of Seringapatam, an immense pile ('of haycock'), by the victorious British ('boy next door and his two cousins')..." See pg. 10 of the Everyman edition published in 1969. First published: London; Chapman and Hall, 1872–1874 in 3 volumes.
Image gallery
File:Obelisk - Srirangapatna.jpg, Obelisk Monument
File:Colonel Bailey's Dungeon, Srirangapatna - Top.jpg, Colonel Bailey's Dungeon, Srirangapatna
File:Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna - Wide Shot.jpg, Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna
File:Coracle riding at Sangamam.jpg, Sangama
File:Wellesley Bridge.jpg, Old Bridge
File:Tippu school.jpg, Tippu School
File:Srinivasa Temple on Karighatta Mountain.jpg, Karigatta viewpoint
File:Tippu's Tomb 2016.jpg, Tippu Tomb
File:Srirangapatanam Town, Mysore.jpg, Srirangapatna
File:Anjeneya temple. Wellesley Bridge.jpg, Wellesley Bridge Temple
See also
*
Karighatta Road
*
Bannur
Bannur is a municipality in Mysore district (ಮೈಸೂರು) in the state of Karnataka, India.
Geography
Bannur is located at . It has an average elevation of 654 metres (2145 feet).
T Narasipura Taluk Near Somanathapur Temple pin ...
*
Arakere
*
Kodagahalli
References
External links
Ancient History of SrirangapatnaSrirangam Temple - Tamil NaduTop things to do at Srirangapatna Karnataka
{{Karnataka topics
Cities and towns in Mandya district
Kingdom of Mysore
Hindu holy cities
Former capital cities in India
Landforms of Karnataka
Islands of Karnataka
Tourist attractions in Mandya district
River islands of India
Geography of Mandya district