Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace is a two-storey teakwood pavilion in the heart of old Bangalore, completed in 1791 inside the now-vanished Bangalore Fort. Tipu — the 'Tiger of Mysore' — used it as a summer retreat from his capital Srirangapatna. He named it Rashk-e-Jannat, 'Envy of Heaven', a description that matched the original gardens and water channels rather than the surviving structure. The palace is a study in Indo-Islamic timber construction: ornately carved teak pillars on a granite base, fluted arches, and walls painted with Persianate floral patterns whose pigments still survive on the upper floor. The British, who killed Tipu at Srirangapatna in 1799, used the palace as their administrative office (the Secretariat) until they built the Attara Kacheri in 1864. The Archaeological Survey of India now runs it as a small museum with portraits, weapons, coins, and a model of the lost Bangalore Fort. Budget 30–45 minutes. The neighbourhood is also where you'll find the Kote Venkataramana Temple (next door) and the bustling KR Market.