The historical Shivappa Nayaka Palace located on the banks of the Tunga here will get a facelift under the Smart City project.
Shivamogga City Corporation has been selected for the project of the Ministry of Urban Development. The palace was said to be constructed during the rule of Keladi king Sadashiva Nayaka in the 16th century. It was earlier used as an office by the Forest Department and was handed over to the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage in 1984. The palace hosts a museum at present and cultural programmes are also held here.
It has been planned to develop the palace into a tourist spot under the project. The corporation has designed a detailed plan by consulting archaeologists and architects on beautifying the premises. At present, visitors can have a partial view of the Tunga river from the palace. Under the project, a view point will be constructed on the palace premises. Construction of a walkway to connect the palace premises with the river bank, landscaping work on the premises, and illumination with LED bulbs figure in the plan.
Prakash T.V., Commissioner of the corporation, has said that formalities related to floating tender for the work would be completed soon.
S.G. Samak, archaeologist and member of the heritage committee of Shivamogga Smart City Project, said that the committee has suggested to introduce sound and light show on the palace premises for tourists.
As part of the show, a brief history of Malnad, including the rule of Keladi dynasty, and the culture and lifestyle of the region can be narrated to tourists by displaying pictures and videos. The sound and light show facility will draw tourists to this heritage site in large numbers, he said. At present, the entrance gate of the palace is located on the left side of the building. According to historical records, the actual entrance is from the front.
The land on the front side of the palace is under the possession of the Forest Department at present. The corporation has requested the department to hand over this land after which a grand entrance gate for the palace would be constructed here.
