<p>Construction of Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace was started in 1781 by Hyder Ali and continued by Tipu after his father's death, eventually being inaugurated in 1791. A chronogram on a plaque in the palace gives us these exact dates.</p><p>The construction materials used are teak wood, stone, mortar, and plaster. The front-on view gives the impression of a one-storeyed pillared pavilion, but it is indeed a double-storeyed building with a symmetrical plan: the northern half being a mirror image of the southern half.</p><p>It is built on a low stone plinth, measuring 32m along the north-south axis and 35m on the east-west axis.</p><p>The hall in front features tall fluted pillars of wood with stone bases and capitals. These pillars divide the hall into five sections, each with cusped arches. The front row of the pillars feature single columns, while the two other rows feature double columns. These pillars support the wooden beams which form the ceiling. There are staircases along the eastern and western walls which lead up to the second floor.</p><p>The flat roof has a low railing of mortar all around with kalash finials to break the monotony, aligned with the pillars in the hall below.</p>