Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon

Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon is a Srirangapatna dungeon located in Srirangapatna, Karnataka state. It was a place used by Tipu Sultan to capture British officers during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. It is an underground prison built in the 18th century during the reign of Tipu Sultan, the then ruler of the Mysore Empire. It is located near the Tomb of Tipu Sultan.

Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon is about 128 km from Bangalore. It is about 28 km from Mandya city and only 16 km from Mysore city. Mysore railway station is just 17 km away while Srirangapatna is 2 km away.

Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan ruled the Mysore Empire between 1761 and 1799 CE. It was a white-walled prison used to hold prisoners of war, including British officers and soldiers. It is located on the northern side of the fort wall and the Srirangapatna temple that surrounds Srirangapatna, the capital of the Mysore kingdom.

Colonel Bailey led the opposing British army in the Second Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Pollilur (1780). Unfortunately the British lost the battle and Colonel Bailey and some other soldiers were captured as prisoners of war and taken to Srirangapatna to be imprisoned in a specially constructed dungeon there. He spent several months in a dungeon in Srirangapatna. Where Bailey and his soldiers were chained to stone holes, the colonel was a British officer who died at the site on 13 November 1782 after a long illness, after whom the dungeon was named (Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon).

Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon Architecture

This unique underground dungeon is built of brick and lime mortar beneath the fort’s Sultan Bateri and is architecturally noteworthy as it has a series of symmetrical arches that illuminate the room. A distinctive feature of the manu is that it looks like a masjid’s mausoleum, bulbous in shape on the side and integrated with the ceiling, thus enabling the inmates to stand to their full height. The dungeon measures 100 ft x 40 ft and is attached to the fort wall and has a raised platform on which are shoulder-high stone slabs with holes fitted with hooks and chain devices for tying the prisoners. It is connected by some steps from the ground level. Prisoners are said to be tied to stone slabs of the dungeon and submerged in water up to their necks.

Colonel Bailey's Dungeon
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon Mandya Photo
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon outside photo
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon inside photo
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon info
Colonel Bailey's Dungeon Top view
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