Travel Guide Srirangapatna

20 km from Mysore, Srirangapatna is an island fortress on the Cauvery, once the capital of the warrior kings Hyder Ali and his son, Tipu Sultan. The city has preserved some magnificent monuments. The British finally defeated Tipu Sultan in 1799, razing much of his fort and palace to the ground. However, we can still admire the fort's three successive gates, a mosque dating from 1787 that blends Hindu and Muslim styles (Jama Masjid), what remains of the palace's foundations, the site where Tipu Sultan was killed by a British cannonball and the prison where he kept enemy officers. Nearby is the Ranganathaswamy temple, built in 894 and enlarged by the Hoysala and Vijayanagar dynasties. It contains the largest Vishnu statue in Karnataka. Two kilometers further on, Tipu Sultan's summer palace is the highlight of the visit. Its fully painted ceilings and walls are superb. Finally, the Gumbaz is a beautiful domed monument containing the cenotaphs of Hyder Ali, his wife Fatima and their son Tipu.