Daria Daulat Bagh means Garden of the Sea of Wealth is a palace that is still in good condition inside the Srirangapatna Fort. This palace was the Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan. This palace was built by Tipu Sultan in 1784. It is at Srirangapatna in Mandya district, Karnataka, India.

There is a beautiful garden around the palace. The River Kaveri surrounds the historic and religiously significant Shrirangapattana fort and city. There is a railway bridge to this island city. NH 275 passes through this island city. Also, a parallel road to the railway bridge is there that is still used by small vehicles.

Daria Daulat Bagh or Garden of the Sea of Wealth

There are many structures inside the Shrirangapattana fort that house the Daria Daulat Bagh palace. It is inside this fort that Tipu Sultan was killed. This forted city is where the Battle of Seringapatam unfolded between Tipu Sultan on one side and the combined forces of Nizam of Hyderabad along with the East India Company, on the other side. Tipu Sultan or the “Tiger of Mysore” was killed in this battle. Tipu Sultan was believed to be betrayed by one of his confidants. There is a memorial at the spot where Tipu Sultan was killed.

Daria Daulat Bagh Palace

Daria Daulat Bagh Palace is made in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. It is made mostly of teak wood. This palace stands on a raised platform in a rectangular shape. Open corridors are there on the four sides of the palace. Mysore paintings add to the beauty of the arches, canopies, pillars, and walls of the palace. Battle scenes and portraits can be found on the outer walls.  On the western wall, you can find the painting that depicts the victory of Haider Ali and his son Tippu Sultan over the East India Company in the Battle of Pollilur near Kanchipuram in 1780.

Lal Mahal Palace Ruins

Close to Daria Daulat Bagh Palace, you can see the Lal Mahal Palace ruins. It was the main place of Tipu. Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore Kingdom from Daria Daulat Bagh Palace and the Lal Mahal Palace. Lal Mahal Palace was destroyed and belongings were looted. The ruins of this palace like the steps and walls can still be seen inside the fort.

Juma Masjid

There is a Juma Masjid (Mosque) inside the fort that is in fairly good condition. Photography has been strictly prohibited inside this mosque for the last few years, though it was allowed up to 2010 or so.

Flag Post

The flag post inside the fort is still in good condition. There are many entrances to the fort. Water Gate is one such fort entrance that is still in fairly good condition. It was through this entrance that the British soldiers sneaked into the fort and killed Tipu Sultan.

Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon Alias Baillie’s Dungeon

There is an Underground Jail built by Tipu Sultan in the eighteenth century inside the Srirangapatna Fort. It is known as Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon or Baillie’s Dungeon. It is in this jail that Tipu used to imprison the British officers who were captured during the Anglo–Mysore Wars (the war between the British and Tipu). Colonel Bailey was captured by Tipu in the second Anglo–Mysore War. This jail is mostly intact and you can go inside this jail.

In 1895, Thomas Immans unearthed another underground jail. This jail is known as Thomas Inman’s Dungeon. This jail is on the northeastern corner of the fort. It is difficult to locate this jail unless you are very close to the signboard. However, entry to this jail is prohibited.

Both these jails are structurally similar.

Gumbaz at Srirangapatna (Mausoleum or Tomb of Hyder Ali and Tipu)

The mausoleum or Gumbaz at Srirangapatna contains the tombs of Royals like Tipu Sultan and his father, Hyder Ali. It also includes the grave of Tipu Sultan’s mother, Fakr-Un-Nisa. It is situated at the center of a landscaped garden.

Nobody knew about Tipu’s death which happened on the 4th of May 1799. The search for Tipu Sultan resulted in identifying his dead body among other dead bodies inside the fort. Colonel Wellesley marked the place where the dead body of Tipu Sultan was found with a stone. Later, a tomb was made.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple alias Ranganathaswamy Temple is a ninth-century world-famous temple in the island fort city. It is a Vaishnavite pilgrimage center. This temple has a car. This temple car is kept close to the temple entrance in a separate building meant for that purpose.

Narasimha Temple

Narasimha Temple at Srirangam is another temple in the fort city.

Looting of Tipu Sultan’s Wealth and Other Items

All of Tipu Sultan’s wealth and even his personal belongings were looted after his death, and many found their way to Britain. Victoria and Albert Museum and British Royal Collection contain many stolen items.

Some of the looted royal belongings of the Tipu sultan found their way back to India after legal battles and some others at auctions.  Tipu’s sword has been acquired by Vijay Mallya, in the last decade or so in an auction. The current location of this sword is not revealed publicly.

A UK court was told that Vijay Mallya gave away the Tipu Sultan’s sword, as it was bringing him bad luck.

Sahebzada Mansoor Ali Tipu, the seventh-generation successor of Tipu Sultan, claimed that the family has tried to purchase it from Mallya.

Tipu Sultan Museum

There is a small museum called Tipu Sultan Museum, on the top floor of the Daria Daulat Palace. It has a reasonably good collection of Tipu memorabilia, paintings, and Persian manuscripts.

Storming of Srirangapattanam, which depicts the final fall of Tipu Sultan on 4 May 1799, is there in the museum. It is an oil painting by Sir Robert Ker Porter, painted in 1800.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites Application

Many of the historic monuments inside the city of Srirangapatna have been nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the application is pending.

How Do I Go to Daria Daulat Bagh?

Daria Daulat Bagh is situated at Shrirangapattana, an island town around 14 kilometers from Mysore alias Mysuru city.  Srirangapatna town is on the NH 275 (Bangalore – Mysore – Madikeri – Bantwal). Srirangapatna is in the Mandya district.

SHRIRANGAPATNA railway station with station code S is the railway station in this Kaveri River island town. There are frequent train services to this island town. This railway station is the only railway station in India that passes through a fort.

Mysore airport is the nearest airport to Srirangapatna town, at around 15 kilometers distance.

Srirangapatna and Mysore Princely State

Srirangapatna was the capital of the erstwhile Mysore princely state for a few decades (1760 to 1799), in the second half of the 18th century, under Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. Haider Ali was the commanders-in-chief of Wodeyars. Haider Ali made himself the de facto ruler of Mysore. Wodeyars, the then Kings of Mysore, were unable to do anything much against this. Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan fought many wars with other neighboring kingdoms and were successful in adding new areas to their kingdom.

The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the largest kingdoms in India, even after the death of the Tipu Sultan. Wodeyars took back control of their lost kingdom and ruled the kingdom till the middle of the last century when it became part of India.

Balmuri and Edmuri Waterfalls (Check Dams)

Balmuri and Edmuri Falls are two artificial falls. They are Check dams over the River Kaveri.

Water falls from a height of 6 feet at Balmuri. You may walk over the ankle-deep water on the check dam if you are adventurous. Many song sequences in Kannada and Hindi movies were shot here. Balmuri means ‘to curve right’ in the local language, Kannada. The River Kaveri turns right here.

Edmuri Waterfall is a distance of around 500 feet from Balmuri Falls.

These falls are famous for bathing, bird watching, etc. It is also suitable for photography, wading through the waters here. They are located near the Palace, on the Krishna Raja Sagara main road.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is at Shrirangapattana or Shirangapattana Srirangapatna. It is approximately three kilometers from the Daria Daulat Bagh Palace.