Tipu Sultan is generating yet another uproar in India. But why is a nearly 223-year-old anti-colonial icon generating news in 2022?
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Tipu Sultan was born in the city of Bangalore today. He was the son of Hyder Ali, a famous military officer in the state of Mysore who became the Sultan. Tipu initially joined his father to combat in Malabar at the age of 15 and assumed leadership of over 2,000 troops. This was only the beginning of his illustrious military career.
He became renowned as the 'Tiger of Mysore,' a warrior monarch who fought four battles against the British. He would win three of them but lose the fourth.
The British were attempting to seize control of Southern India in the early 18th century. They formed alliances with the Nizam and the Marathas to fight Tipu's kingdom of Mysore. While Hyder Alin sought to win over the Marathas, A 17-year-old Tipu bargained effectively with the Nizam. Before the British signed a peace treaty, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan had captured forts and British-held cities along the coast and had nearly driven them out of their strategic port of Madras.
The Treaty of Madras of 1769 stipulated that both parties would return to their pre-war borders and come to one other's rescue if attacked. Only two years later, the Marathas attacked Mysore, and the British stood by and watched as the pact was broken.
In 1780, Mysore and the British fought a second war when the British acquired possession of the French-occupied port of Mahe. Tipu Sultan and 10,000 troops defeated the British East India Company in this year. 4,000 soldiers were captured, and 336 men were slain. It was the most humiliating setback the British had ever experienced in India.
Tipu went on to defeat the British in another crucial battle in 1782. Tipu became Sultan the same year his father died. The war with the British lasted until 1784, when Tipu regained the upper hand and a peace treaty was signed once more.
By 1789, the British had bided their time and amassed more money and soldiers with which to conquer South India. By 1793, they had gained so much land that they attacked the capital city and seized half of the kingdom of Mysore. Tipu's two boys, aged 7 and 11, were also kidnapped and held captive until Tipu paid a large ransom.
He spent the next few years restoring the kingdom that was left. The British, however, were not finished. Sultan's capital city stood between the British and ultimate dominance of India. In 1799, 50,000 of the company's troops marched on Mysore, the state capital. Tipu's soldiers could only keep them at bay for a limited time. Tipu wrote to the British, requesting a peace treaty, but the British did not afford him the same courtesy he had extended three times previously, and were intent on seizing the city and putting an end to his territory.
The British breached the city's defences on May 4, 1799. Tipu raced to the breach and died in battle at the age of 48. Tipu was so well-known and feared by the British that his death was celebrated throughout the country. Mysore became a princeless state during the British Raj as a result of this. His sons were exiled and reduced to poverty.
For many years, Tipu was viewed as a hero, a freedom warrior, and a peaceful ruler by many people and the state. However, with Hindu nationalism on the rise in India, this might change. Tipu Sultan Gardens, a sports facility in Mumbai, was recently refurbished. Before the new inauguration, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other right-wing organizations staged a protest. They said Tipu Sultan was not a hero, but rather a cruel king and terrorist who tormented Hindus.
Tipu Sultan sparked outrage in his home state of Karnataka in 2015 when the Congress-led administration chose to commemorate his birth anniversary. Amit Shah, the BJP's leader, exploited Tipu Sultan's birthday to portray the Congress as 'anti-Hindu.' However, the BJP did not always portray Tipu Sultan as a villain. In reality, in a book about Tipu Sultan's achievements authored by Dr Sheik Ali in 2012, BJP's then-chief minister Jagadish Shettar lauded him as a liberation warrior and leader. Prior to 2015, BJP leaders were spotted wearing 'Tipu Sultan turbans' and visiting Tipu Sultan sites.
So, what's the deal with the abrupt shift? Some argue that it is intended to split voters in Karnataka along communal lines. The Karnataka government intended to remove Tipu Sultan and his father from social textbooks in 2020, but the decision was postponed. This was part of a larger movement to replace Mughal figures in textbooks with Hindu leaders. The issue now is how far the BJP and Hindu nationalism would go to deface India's rich past. And how would this affect future generations' perceptions of their country?
Tipu was recognized not just as a brilliant military leader, but also as a scientist and mathematician, as well as an innovator. He invented rocket artillery, which used iron tubes to launch missiles up to two kilometers distant. He established a new currency system, a new calendar, and a land revenue system, all of which contributed to the expansion of the Mysore silk industry. Tipu was a devoted Muslim, but he was also noted for his tolerance of Hinduism, which was the faith of many of his people. But, fearing Tipu, the British vilified him in literature and art as a ruthless Muslim zealot.