Taylor Manzil, Shorapur

About 3 years back I had read a newspaper article about Taylor Manzil. It was very interesting to learn about the unique building. The article did not carry a picture, so I had no idea how the house looked. Some time later, as my interest in prehistoric sites got deeper, I bought the book 'Megalithic Tombs and other Ancient Remains in the Deccan authored by Meadows Taylor. I became an admirer of Mr. Taylor and wanted to learn more. That's when I decided to visit his home in Shorapur- the Taylor Monzzil.
Colonel Philip Meadows Taylor was an Anglo-Indian administrator during Brtish rule in India. Meadows Taylor studied the laws, geology, and the antiquities of India. He introduced India and its culture to the West through his books such as Confessions of a Thug, Tippoo Sultaun, Tara, etc. Meadows Taylor was one of the foremost early experts on megaliths.

About 1850, Meadows Taylor was appointed by the Nizam of Hyderabad to administer the principality of the Raja Venkatappa Nayaka i.e. the present day Surpur (Shorapur) taluq and surrounding areas in Karnataka. This bungalow was built during his 12 year posting at Shorapur. The bungalow is situated on a rocky hill just outside the town. The building, designed by Taylor himself resembles the letter T in plan. Taylor constructed the building with safety on his mind; it was designed to have escape routes in all directions. The bungalow has a door on every outer wall and 27 doors in total. When every doors is closed and when any door is shaken, all the other doors begin to shake - this has been done as a warning system in case of an attack.

December 24, 2012
Taylor Manzil was the last item on our itinerary for the day. We arrived here from Vanadurga, a fort said to be built during Raja Venkatappa's rule. Shorapur is a busy little town, very dusty because of the ongoing development work. With people's help we found the way to TM quite easily; here we are looking at the 169 year old bungalow. The monument is under state government, currently used as a guest house. In fact the inspection bungalow (IB) a recent construction sits right next to TM.
That's Taylor Manzil. I'm quite sure it looked a lot different when Taylor lived here.

The front portico is spacious, a good place to spend a relaxed evening. The main door is on my right.

Converging wooden beams support the roof slab.

The front doors opens into this room, the living room. Beyond the arched doorway is the lunch room. Bedrooms are situated on either sides, totally four bedrooms. The rooms are large and spacious with equally spacious bath & dressing rooms.

I did not shoot many pictures inside, do take a look at the short video.

The bungalow has plenty of space around it. Also there's a outdoor seating area close to the edge of the plateau, offering a good view of Surpur town. Just outside the compound wall is this oval shaped tank. Perhaps it was a fish pond or a fountain pond. Right now it lies neglected, filled with rubble and trash. Government engineers and official see only big objects, they can't see smaller things :-(

About 150m to the east is a rock formation. I'm not sure if its called Kudure Gudda ~ horse's hill as mentioned in a news article. On the rocks is a small tower, most likely constructed built when the bungalow was built.

Surpur town comes into view.

The surrounding area is completely covered with hills.

Taylor Manzil as seen from the watch tower.

Here's a schematic giving approximate plan of the spot.

I was happy to have visited Taylor's home but sad to see the way it is being used. If you ever see it your own eyes you might understand what I mean. In my opinion it should be maintained like a museum. That's wishful thinking.

Meadows Taylor was born at Liverpool, England on September 25, 1808 and died on May 13, 1876 at Menton, France.

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Tipu Sultan Palace, Bengaluru

26 years of living in Bengaluru, I had not stepped into this compound though I had passed by it countless times. Same applied to Bengaluru Kote ~ Bangalore Fort. Finally I made it on the last day of 2011 ...with Gulli my friend. Together we have traveled thousands of kilometers visiting historic monuments across Karnataka. The longest trip was the bike trip around Karnataka.

Tipu Sultan's Palace looks well maintained. However, a part of the monument houses an office and some furniture were dumped around haphazardly. Also few state vehicles had  been parked close to the building.

ASI description- 

This magnificent palace in wood, sone, mortar and plaster was started by Nawab Hyder Ali Khan in 1781 AD., and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791 AD. It is situated within the fort walls of Bangalore, next to the Sri Venkataramana temple.

Though it seems like a one storied pavilion, it is actually a double storied building of symmetrical plan, typical of this style of architecture. Built on a stone plinth, the facade has gigantic fluted pillars in wood with stone bases, that support huge wooden beams constituting the structure. Cusped arches and brackets spring off the pillars in typical Indo-Islamic style, painted and polished in two different colors to accentuate the carvings of them.

The walls and wooden ceilings of the entire palace are painted in floral motifs on madder red surfaces, in muted warm colors, gilded, in great detail and beauty.

The upper chambers and balconies can be accessed by four staircases leading to them. The central portion on the first floor, is a large hall leading off to four smaller rooms at its corners. These rooms are considered the Zenana quarters. Located in the two balconies on the North and South were seats of State, where the Sultan held audience and conducted affairs of State. There is an enclosed private space below this area that houses a museum.

An inscription on a stone found in the palace describes it best as an 'adobe of Happiness and envy of Heaven'.

Brown, gold and red definitely creates a royal feel to interior.

Inscriptions embedded in opposite walls.

The ground floor of the palace houses a museum, its a collection of paintings, a model of rocket missile and a model of Tipu Sultan Tiger Organ. The original is supposed to be in a British museum. Tipu got this organ made to express his hatred for his enemy, the British of East India Company. The other interesting object was a rocket powered spear. It is said that Tipu's army had mastered rocket technology and used to fire rockets in battles. Photography is banned inside the museum yet few tourists shot away with mobile phones. Ditto at Tipu Summer palace near Srirangapatna.

An array of twin pillars support the roof. One of the two balconies used by Tipu to see people is visible in this picture.

Four such stairways lead to the first floor of the palace ...stone steps and carved wooden railing.

During its hey days, this floor wouldn't be bare. Probably it would be covered by expensive Persian rugs.

A closer look at the balcony and the open hall. Either ends of this level has small rooms, perhaps used by the Sultan to take rest.

Trying to get a feel of how Tipu Sultan looked at his audience.

Base of the pillar fits into a sculpted stone base. Simple yet beautiful floral art in wood.

Similar floral art at the top.

White walls facing east and west help reflect heat and keep interiors cool during summers.

Venkataramana temple and Tipu Sultan palace share a common boundary wall.

Done with the tour, Gulli and head to Bengaloru Kote, a five minute walk from Tipu's palace.

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Four shots from Jamkhandi

Here are a four of my favorite pictures from Jamkhandi shot in a film-roll aim-n-shoot camera.

spiral staircase at Jamkhandi Palace

This ancient sculpted idol is at Rameshwara Gudi which is a part of the palace complex. Of course the temple is older than the palace. It is said that any person who can pass through that narrow gap with a wish, will have that wish come true. It seems the original gap was larger, the paving slabs have reduced a few inches. I don't think even a 6 year old could pass through it.

A rock face on the hills seen early morning

a Peepul or a Ficus on the eastern edge of the hill

The tree spot is a great place to see sunrises and sunsets. It was peaceful and tranquil up there.

Jamkhandi is a small town but a prosperous one. It still has that rural touch and there are several interesting places nearby. I had stayed at a cousin's place here during the 14-day biking tour across Karnataka.
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