Nalknad Palace

Nalknad Palace or Nalkunadu (Kannada: Nalkunadu aremane), called Naalnaad Aremane in the local Kodava language, is a palace located in the Kodagu district of the Indian state of Karnataka.It is located near a village named Yavakapadi and was built between the years 1792 and 1794 AD. This palace was the last refuge of the last of the Haleri kings of Kodagu, Chikka Veerarajendra before he was deposed by the British.The Kannada film Shanti, which has only a single actor, was shot in the surroundings of the palace. Dodda Veerarajendra managed to recapture most of his forts, except Mercara, the capital. Instead, he made his base in a thickly forested area called Nalknad and launched his operations from there. Here at Nalknad, Dodda Virarajendra built himself the Nalknad Palace,[4] a two-storeyed structure constructed in the style typical to its region.In 1793, he travelled to Cannanore to meet Sir Robert Abercromby and conclude a treaty with the British. After this agreement, Vira Rajendra became a steadfast ally of the British, in opposition to Tipu Sultan. Dodda Veerarajendra had two queens, and his second marriage, to Mahadevammaji, was celebrated in Nalknad Palace in 1796. His queens gave him four surviving daughters but no sons, to his great regret. Meanwhile, his two younger brothers had secured their release from Tipu's clutches and made their way to their brother's base in Nalknad. They were the heirs to the kingdom if Dodda Virarajendra failed to produce a son. Dodda Virarajendra's second wife Mahadevamma died in 1807, and this seems to have had a profound effect on him. When Dodda Veerarajendra died in 1809, his ten-year-old daughter Devammaji was declared as the "queen of Kodagu".However, in 1811, Linga Rajendra II, the younger brother of the deceased king, proclaimed himself as the king of Kodagu and ruled the region till his death in 1820. Chikka Vira Rajendra, the son of Linga Rajendra, became the king of Kodagu. In 1832, differences began to rise between the king and the British, forcing the king to start a war against the British. The British attacked Kodagu with full force and began to make inroads. Chikka Veerarajendra moved to Nalknad Palace which became his last refuge.In order to prevent major losses, the king had to surrender and the British deposed him to Benares. With this, Kodagu came under the direct rule of the British and Chikka Veerarajendra the last king of Kodagu was sent into exile.