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| Wellington Lodge, Mysuru. commons.wikimedia.org |
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Above image: Arthur Wellesley, an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister. He ended the Napoleonic Wars when he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Against Tipu's army, at Srirangapatna, (Karnataka ), capital of Mysore. Wellesley secured the rear of the advance, posting guards at the breach and then stationed his regiment at the main palace. After hearing news of the death of the Tipu Sultan, April 1799, Wellesley was the first at the scene to confirm his death, checking his pulse ...............
Among the southern states, Karnataka has a large number of colonial buildings. The city of Chennai, (formerly Madras) has countless colonial monuments, so are Bangaluru and Mysuru cities of Karnataka. The princely state was once under the control of early colonial rulers - East India company that had a large settlement at Madras (then Chennapatnam), it administered the kingdom from there. The Mysore city has many monuments that are characteristic of Indo-Saracenic style. One could see the influence of Indian architecture in such buildings.
Looking stark and plain, you may not be impressed. by the Wellington Lodge. Why this simplicity? To know it, we have to go back and turn the pages of history. The British could not establish their hegemony in this part of south India because of Tipu Sultan, a valiant warrior and a formidable enemy of the British. Earlier, the kingdom was ruled by the dynasty of the Wadeyar Royal family. The kingdom was seized by Tipu's father Hyder Ali who held a prime post in the army under the Wadeyars. It took four wars for the English company to defeat Tipu. In the final Angelo-Mysore war, a section of the the army led by Wellesley defeated Tipu and shot him dead in 1799. Wellesley's regiment successfully got into Tipu's formidable fort at Srirangapatna through the Cauvey gate that was not well guarded. In the wake of this victory, the British needed their representative in Mysore and this building - Wellington Lodge came up in a hurry. Its first occupant was Arthur Wellesley. the man who was responsible for Tipu's defeat. It happened to be the first headquarters of the commissioners in Mysore and a resting place until an adequate, more spacious and comfortable Government House (just opposite) was built. This two-story white building without any embellishment is terraced with rectangular plan. In the subsequent years after independence, this building housed many govt. offices and later fell into disuse. Because of poor up-keep and lack of attention it had begun to crumble. into disrepair.
In consideration of its historical value, the Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya. undertook the restoration work. The building was built by builders who derived inspiration from factory buildings. Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, stayed here as a representative of the English between 1799-1801.in Mysore. During this time, the rule was restored to the early rulers the Wadeyar family with Mysore as the capital. After the construction impressive Govt. House, it served as an office for the superintendent who stayed on top floor and the ground floor became a store house Because of restoration at the right time, an old historical colonial structure was saved from total destruction, retaining its stature and old charm with its simplicity.
In 1814, Wellesley became the first Duke of Wellington and in 1828 the prime minister of United Kingdom. There is a bridge across the river in Srirangapatna built in 1804 and it was named after Wellesley. The building houses museum and office of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya that is in charge of the preservation of traditional Indian art and culture.
