Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’, Shakespeare’s famous line, could well apply to the royal residents of Nalknad Palace in Coorg, Karnataka. Shielded by lush forests, at the foot of Thadiandamool, the highest peak in the district, the red-tiled roof, two-storied, pillared palace is riddled with escape routes, trapdoors and dark underground chambers meant to help beleaguered royals escape in case of an attack.

Built between 1792 and 1794, the palace was commissioned by King Dodda Veerarajendra to commemorate his victory over Tipu Sultan, with the help of the British colonialists. It is one of the smallest royal abodes we have come across but the main hall and the queen and king’s chambers showcase once vibrant murals, including one of a victory procession. The palace is enfolded in a luxuriant garden with a small, carved pavilion in front. The caretaker who loves the palace but rarely sees tourists there told us that King Dodda Veerarajendra married his second wife in the pavilion. Incidentally, he had lost his first wife and his entire family earlier. The second wife’s death a few years later drove the bereaved king mad with grief.

Indeed, tragedy stalked this minuscule palace of the Coorg kings. The last monarch, Chikka Veerarajendra, who resided at Nalknad Palace, was dethroned by his colonial masters in 1834 and exiled to Varanasi. But fate had other things in store. The deposed king sailed to England with his beautiful 11-year-old daughter Gowramma in 1852 to claim and recover his lost wealth. There, the lonely little Indian princess captivated Queen Victoria by her air of vulnerability. The Queen had her baptised and called her Victoria Gowramma. The monarch tried to play matchmaker between Victoria Gowramma and another exiled prince, the dashing Maharaja Duleep Singh. But Victoria Gowramma chose instead to marry a much older man, Colonel John Campbell. Tragically, she died when she was just 23 under mysterious circumstances. On her death, it is said that the Coorg jewels and Colonel Campbell vanished virtually into thin air.

www.karnatakatourism.org

Text & Photos: Gustasp and Jeroo Irani
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
January 2018

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