Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of Mysore, is possibly one of the most extraordinary rulers of India. For starters, those of us who have read, Wings of Fire, by Dr. A.P. J Abdul Kalam, probably got the first stroke of our knowledge about the genius of the man whose picture hangs in NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Reason? He is supposed to be the man who has pioneered the technology of War rockets.
He was from a humble background yet his father, Hyder Ali educated him well while also training him in all sorts of combat arts. Tipu Sultan could speak Arabic, French, Kannada, Persian and English fluently. His royal library contained 40,000 books.
Tipu was a devout muslim yet he was kind and considerate towards his hindu subjects. On the request of the French, he also constructed the first church in Mysore. Tipu donated generously to the Hindu temples and gave alms to the brahmins. A linga donated by him to the Nanjagud temple is worshipped till today.
If you have been to Bangalore, you've probably visited Lalbagh. Both Tipu and his dad were ardent nature lovers. Lal Bagh was made by Hyder Ali by procuring several plants from Delhi, Multan and Lahore. Tipu further extended it by planting specimens from France, Turkey and China. Three mango trees planted by him bear fruit even today.
Tipu Sultan died in the battle field while defending Sriangapatna, in the fourth Anglo Mysore war in 1799. He was himself quite capable of defeating the British, but by making use of the policy of divde and rule, the British took the support of the Hyderabad Nizams, the Marathas and the rulers of Travancore and Coorg, against Tipu. It's true when two monkeys fight, the cat benefits. The British, wallowed in cream, by turning the Indian rulers against each other. After his death, his capital was razed to the ground and his relics destroyed. His war rockets were seized by the British and were renamed Congreve, after William Congreve, a subaltern who had fought Tipu in 1799.
That is how the legacy of this great man died with his death. It is sad that we and our government have not given this man honor and recognition like he deserved. The circle which faces the main gate of the Srirangapatna fort is named after a former minister. Very close to it, is the Masjid-e.Ala, where Tipu moved and commanded his soldiers to do-or-die for the freedom of India.
He was from a humble background yet his father, Hyder Ali educated him well while also training him in all sorts of combat arts. Tipu Sultan could speak Arabic, French, Kannada, Persian and English fluently. His royal library contained 40,000 books.
Tipu was a devout muslim yet he was kind and considerate towards his hindu subjects. On the request of the French, he also constructed the first church in Mysore. Tipu donated generously to the Hindu temples and gave alms to the brahmins. A linga donated by him to the Nanjagud temple is worshipped till today.
If you have been to Bangalore, you've probably visited Lalbagh. Both Tipu and his dad were ardent nature lovers. Lal Bagh was made by Hyder Ali by procuring several plants from Delhi, Multan and Lahore. Tipu further extended it by planting specimens from France, Turkey and China. Three mango trees planted by him bear fruit even today.
Tipu Sultan died in the battle field while defending Sriangapatna, in the fourth Anglo Mysore war in 1799. He was himself quite capable of defeating the British, but by making use of the policy of divde and rule, the British took the support of the Hyderabad Nizams, the Marathas and the rulers of Travancore and Coorg, against Tipu. It's true when two monkeys fight, the cat benefits. The British, wallowed in cream, by turning the Indian rulers against each other. After his death, his capital was razed to the ground and his relics destroyed. His war rockets were seized by the British and were renamed Congreve, after William Congreve, a subaltern who had fought Tipu in 1799.
That is how the legacy of this great man died with his death. It is sad that we and our government have not given this man honor and recognition like he deserved. The circle which faces the main gate of the Srirangapatna fort is named after a former minister. Very close to it, is the Masjid-e.Ala, where Tipu moved and commanded his soldiers to do-or-die for the freedom of India.
Thought you might be interested..... http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/08/stories/2004040805881200.htm
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this :) Though I had an idea about it but I didn't know so much.
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