Madikeri Fort also called Mercara Fort was first founded by Mudduraja in the second half of the 17th century. He also built a palace inside the fort. It was eventually rebuilt and restructured in granite by Tipu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad. Mercara Fort is among the many forts, build or rebuild by Tipu Sultan. In 1790, Dodda Vira Rajendra took control of the fort. The British who added to the fort in 1834. The palace was renovated by Linga Rajendra II in 1812-1814. In the north-east corner at the entrance are two life size masonry elephants and a church is present in the south-east corner.