Madikeri Fort Museum

Madikeri Fort Museum is a heritage museum housed inside the historic Madikeri Fort in Madikeri, the headquarters of Kodagu district, Karnataka. Originally built as a mud fort by Mudduraja in the late 17th century and later rebuilt in stone by Tipu Sultan, the fort now encloses a museum displaying Kodava history and artifacts. Notable for its stone walls, bastions, colonial-era church and palace, it offers insight into Kodagu's royal and colonial past.

Visitors can expect a historic stone fort complex in central Madikeri enclosing a small museum, old palace buildings, a former colonial church now housing the museum, bastions, and fort walls. Inside the museum are displays of artifacts, weapons, sculptures, inscriptions, and objects related to Kodagu history and Kodava culture. The elevated fort offers views of the town, with courtyards and corridors to explore on foot.

Madikeri Fort was originally built as a mud fort by Mudduraja, ruler of Kodagu, in the late 17th century (1681). It was later rebuilt in stone by Tipu Sultan and subsequently occupied and modified by the British after 1790, who added structures including St. Mark's Church in 1859. The fort served as a seat of administration for Kodagu rulers and later the British, and now houses the district administration offices and museum.

The museum preserves and displays the heritage of Kodagu and Kodava culture, including traditional artifacts, weaponry, sculptures and historical objects. The fort complex reflects the layered architectural influences of Kodagu royalty, Mysore Sultanate and British colonial periods, and remains a central cultural landmark of Madikeri.