Re: Tipu Sultan - Hero or Villian
I dont know about the authenticity of the letters, but from the most reliable wikipedia.
Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Criticism of British accounts
Brittlebank, Hasan, Chetty, Habib and Saletare, amongst others, argue that stories of Tipu Sultan’s religious persecution of Hindus and Christians are largely derived from the work of early British authors such as Kirkpatrick[SUP][32]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP] and Wilks,[SUP][33]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP] whom they do not consider to be entirely reliable.[SUP][34]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP] A. S. Chetty argues that Wilks’ account in particular cannot be trusted,[SUP][35]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP] Irfan Habib and Mohibbul Hasan argues that these early British authors had a strong vested interest in presenting Tipu Sultan as a tyrant from whom the British had liberated Mysore.[SUP][36]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP] This assessment is echoed by Brittlebank in her recent work where she writes that Wilks and Kirkpatrick must be used with particular care as both authors had taken part in the wars against Tipu Sultan and were closely connected to the administrations of Lord Cornwallis and Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley .[SUP][37]](Tipu Sultan - Wikipedia )[/SUP]
I read it too. So it is a good thing that I am not using British accounts and the reason I suggested using Tipu Sultan’s correspondence and Archeological Survey of Inida’s findings.