Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Society Military and Strategic Issues
1

[thumb=H]tippu18261_6655780.JPG[/thumb]
Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore 1750-1799

The famous hero and subcontinent’s most famous muslim military resistance hero and ruler of the south western state of Mysore, Tipu Sultan was martyred in the epic battle of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799 at the age of 49 when a Scottish Regiment of the Royal British Army over ran his defenses, after years and years of struggle. With Tipu ended all obstacles standing in the British course to take over the entire Subcontinent.

Tipu, the son of another legend of a soldier and ruler Hyder Ali, literally fought ot his last breath and drop of blodd against foreign rulers and was far sighted enough to realize what Brtiish rule meant in the long run. But, eventually like it has often happened to good men, he was stabbed in the back by his own.

He was martyred fighting alone sword in hand in the front yards of his palace which was flooded by British soldiers who had managed to enter the fortress through help from treasoning companions of the Sultan.

[thumb=H]tippu218261_9681035.JPG[/thumb]
A painting depicting Tipu’s last fight

Today his belongings are displayed at museums in England, and even though he was defeated, his glory grows manifold with time and the British who ended his rule hold him in high regard and pay rich tributes, indeed offering immense pride for all those coming for the subcontinent. From a distance it may seem that the display of a fallen hero’s belongings by the winning force is aimed at belittling the fallen or to proclaim superiority, but for some exciting reason, Tipu’s belongings, including his swords, clothes and other items generate a wave of pride in Pakistanis and Indians, as the display portrays the high esteem and grandeur of the hero that even the British now acknowledge.

Tipu’s military strategies and foreign alliance policies were tremendously successful. for years he was able to counter British and other princely state’s against him throuhg his excellent command over his disciplined army which was the best of its time. the Moghuls were on the decline and Tipu took it on himslef to ensure that foreign rulers dont get a chance to settle on the Indian soil. His armies saw great victories thnaks to his great grasp of strategy and planning and his top commanders who were equally able and dedicted.

Tipu Sultan had made allinaces with Napolean Bonaparte of France, who sent his army to his aid on various occasions and trained his troops. that was a heavy blow for the British. He also introduced the very first rockets!

The following website is heaven for all Tipu lovers withe excellent details.

http://www.tipusultan.org/biog.htm

Let’s remember this great hero and pay rich tribute to him on his 206th martyrdom anniversary. share views, thoughts and ideas on how he was of key imp. how his strategies worked or failed. what mistakes he did or didnt make? was his fall inevitable in terms of military strategy…?

2

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

once again, one man's hero is another's enemy. while he is considered a hero by almost all indians and pakistanis, his armies had often tried to annex the peaceful states to the south west in kerala. to my ancestors, he was just another barbaric king with an itch to annex more land, loot and destroy temples and forcibly convert thousands of captured local hindus and christians all the way from mysore, mangalore, coorg and northern kerala. he used to be called "the bandit of mysore" in kerala prior to his glorification as "the tiger". his fighting the british assured him of this glory, but what is omitted is that he was quite the patron of the french colonial forces. at the time, the french, the dutch and the british were fighting for control over the ports in kerala as it meant a great deal of money in spice trade. and ultimately, he was the one responsible for north kerala ending up under british colonial rule.

3

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

^ i second queer.:)

4

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Hey hey,..1st,..2nd,...Take it easy,

Will you guyz,?..I was trying my best to tell rvikz,..that Two nation theory was correct......He never listend to me,..Since you two have proved my point more brilliantly...I think he must be happy now,....you guyz let him down,....** When one nation's Hero is 2nd Nation's killer ** then I think we have two nations,....living 180 degrees apart,..unfortunately side by side,...But Hey no one can choose his neighbor,...:)

5

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

i guess you didn’t realize Tipu Sultan is very well-respected and revered as a hero in India. Apart from Akbar, he is probably the only other Muslim ruler that commands this level of respect and is spoken so highly of in India (by all - hindus, muslims, etc).

of course, there are always people who disagree. Keralites have a legitimate gripe. there were many instances of religious intolerance on the parts of both Tipu Sultan and Akbar, yet they remain well-respected amongst the majority in India. perhaps it is simply the contrast between those 2 and the ethics of other far less tolerant Muslim rulers that has allowed for this respect, but nevertheless, that is the case. this has nothing to do with India-Pakistan or the two-nation theory.

6

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

nikhil, maddrassa prodigy tariq thinks mysore is what his ass is after his evening with the mullah. he has no clue about tipu except for the two posts he read now and decides to make it an anti-india post.

7

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

:hehe: that much seemed obvious…interesting.

8

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

too bad tipu wasn't arab - otherwise he could have hoodwinked the brits with beauty and charm and run away to pakistan before it was born

9

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

somebody gotta agree with this..
:rolleyes:

Dedicate a song for the person above
10

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Tariq and Boota, if you agree with what you wrote, think Ahmed Shah Abdali, pushtoons and punjabis. Good luck with the partition. :)

11

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

he is a hero…

12

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

The facts mentioned are not fictitious. But there is another side to the story. He was trying to expand his kingdom into the kerala region. And the way he went about it, is not that pleasent to the people there. This is what we were trying to say.
The way he fought the British was remarkable. :)

13

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

vineshvk,
yes that's what the purpose of this thread is, to study his military strategy and foreign policies etc and the methods of conducting war and raids etc and how he dealt with the conquered. I'd like to hear your views from the Kerala versions; how and what and why? do share. what exactly was about him that displeased Keralites, why he wanted to expand in that direction?

14

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

I have forgotten a part of Tipu history....once lost in battle he handed over his two minor sons to the British, as a gaurantee of treaty.
What actually happened? I think it shows a coward in him.

15

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Tippu's biggest mistake was that he failed to learned anything from and emulate Aurangzeb.....

16

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Queers, Nikhils, vineshvks and Atlantises hounding the Pakistan board on gupshup - very interesting indeed.

Inspite of all the bs thrown on this guy here, he rocked :k: we need more like 'em…

17

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

bollybust, can you tell me where exactly in pakistan srirangapatnam is? or mysore is? thanks much.

HOLIDAYS are no fun
18

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

These are some of the brutality done by the Tipus forces when they ran through the north of Kerala

Tipus letter as researched by K.M Panicker a noted historian in Kerala.

  1. Letter dated March 22, 1788, to Abdul Kadir: "Over 12,000 Hindus were honoured with Islam. There were many Namboodri Brahmins among them. This achievement should be widely publicised among the Hindus. Then the local Hindus should be brought before you and converted to Islam. No Namboodri Brahmin should be spared. "

  2. Letter dated December 14, 1988, to his army chief in Calicut: " I am sending two of my followers with Mir Hussain Ali. With their assistance, you should capture and kill all Hindus. Those below 20 may be kept in prison and 5000 from the rest should be killed from the tree-tops. These are my orders."

  3. Letter dated January 18, 1790, to Syed Abdul Dulai: " ...almost all Hindus in Calicut are converted to Islam. I consider this as Jehad."

A quotes from voyage of East India by Fr. Barthoelomeo, a renowned Portugese traveller and historian
"First a corps of 30,000 barbarians who butchered everybody on the way ... followed by the field gun unit under the French commander, M. Lally. Tipu was riding on an elephant behind which another army of 30,000 soldiers followed. Most of the men and women were hanged in Calicut, first mothers were hanged with their children tied to necks of mothers. That barbarian Tipu Sultan tied the naked Christian and Hindus to the legs of elephants and made the elephants to move around till the bodies of the helpless victims were torn to pieces. Temples and churches were ordered to be burned down, desecrated, and destroyed. ... Those Christians who refused to be honoured with Islam were ordered to be killed by hanging immediately. These atrocities were told to me by the victims of Tipu Sultan who escaped from the clutches of his army and reached Varapphuza, which is the centre of Carmichael Christian Mission. I myself helped many victims to cross the Varapphuza river by boats."

19

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

I cannot beleive it. It is a gross misinterpretation of historical documents…so and so. Islam is against compulsion in religion…never anyone converted Hindus to Islam forcefully…this is all nonsense Hindu history.

20

Re: Tipu Sultan; the Tiger of Mysore and fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799

Islam might be.. but Tipu Sultan was not.