The Fort and Tipu Sultan's Palace - Only parts of the fort remain, standing in mute testimony to the struggle of Tipu Sultan against British domination in the 18th century. The fort is noted for its beautifully carved arches in Islamic style and for the well preserved Ganapati Temple, originally built by Kempe Gowda in 1537. It was extended and fortified by Tipu Sultan. Hyder Ali, Tipu's father had imprisoned David Baird along with a number of British army officers here. Tipu Sultan's Palace which is close to the fort is now a museum. The palace was started by Hyder Ali and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791. It took ten years of planning and construction & this was one of Tipu Sultan's summer retreats. It is a two-storeyed ornate wooden structure with pillars, arches and balconies flanked by gardens on either sides leading to the palace. The Eastern and Western projecting balconies of the upper floor contained the seat of state from where Tipu conducted affairs of the state. An inscription on the wooden screen describes the palace as the "Abode of Happiness".