As the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition in Karnataka raises a furore over the Congress government’s decision to celebrate the birthday of Tipu Sultan, it forgets that even right-wing historians did not think very badly of the Tiger of Mysore.
On December 22, at the launch of Tipu Sultan: A Crusader for Change, by historian Dr B Sheik Ali, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced that the state would celebrate Tipu Jayanti and that it would soon announce the date for this holiday.
This is not the first time Tipu Sultan has been at the centre of a controversy. In 2012, the Congress government wanted to name a new university in Srirangapatna after the ruler, after which people protested saying he was an anti-Hindu mass murderer.
“I seriously feel the Congress will stoop to any level to get votes,” said Pratap Simha, the BJP Member of Parliament from Mysore-Kodagu. “The kind of administration Tipu Sultan gave in Mysore was a tyrannical rule and everybody knows it. Even today if you ask anyone from this area, they respect the Wadiyar dynasty.”
Glowing accounts
However, even right-wing historians have written glowing accounts of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, pointed out Irfan Habib, a historian at the Aligarh Muslim University.
A chapter in a volume of The History and Culture of the Indian People edited by right-leaning historian RK Majumdar shortly after Independence deals with Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali. The essay, written by NK Sinha, is full of praise of the two – although more of Hyder Ali than Tipu Sultan – particularly because they refused to bow down to the British.
Tipu Sultan was the ruler of Mysore between 1782 and 1799. He died in battle with the British after they attempted to annex the kingdom. Tipu was only the second ruler of this dynasty. His father Hyder Ali, who was military commander of Mysore, took effective control of the kingdom in 1761, even as the Wadiyars remained on the throne in name. Hyder Ali passed the kingdom on to Tipu when he died.
While they were in power, the two fought vicious battles against their neighbours. These included the Marathas, the Nizams of Hyderabad and the British, but also the Malabar, Kodagu and Carnatic kingdoms.
Tipu and Hyder were also credited with attempts to modernise Mysore's economy. Tipu established the silk industry in Mysore that thrives even today. He established trading companies, bought modern ships and also had a banking system.
Tipu was lionised for several years for his resistance to the British, with some going as far as to credit him with being one of India’s earliest freedom fighters.
Today, a section of the right claims that Tipu Sultan was anti-Hindu and not as modern as people would like to believe. They say that Tipu Sultan could not be termed a freedom fighter as he was simply fighting for his own kingdom and not for a larger geographical area. Tipu Sultan was a tyrant within Mysore and brutal to his enemies outside it, they add, citing his forced conversions of Malabar Hindus to Islam.
“You go to any nook and corner of Tipu’s area, and he has done no social work,” Simha said. “Nothing stands in testimony to his good work, apart from the forts he built. On the other side, look at the contribution of Wodeyar dynasty, they built canals, dams.”
Conflict was political, not religious
While Tipu Sultan’s treatment of Hindus is perceived to be harsh, his treatment of Muslims was equally stern, B Sheik Ali told the Hindu. “The Mappillas of Malabar, Nawabs of Savanur, Cuddapah and Kurnool were inflicted severe treatment for their disloyalty and it was purely political in nature. One cannot ascribe communal or religious motives to it and Tipu Sultan was more hostile towards the Nizam than towards the Marathas.”
Habib also pointed out that even if the concept of India did not exist in the 18th century, Tipu Sultan still stood out from his contemporaries.
“The British did not want to destroy Tipu Sultan,” Habib said. “They wanted him to accept a subsidiary treaty and expel the French. He declined, but no other ruler did so. When the British came to Srirangapatnam, they thought Tipu would be waiting to sign the treaty, but he died defending his kingdom.”
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
On December 22, at the launch of Tipu Sultan: A Crusader for Change, by historian Dr B Sheik Ali, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced that the state would celebrate Tipu Jayanti and that it would soon announce the date for this holiday.
This is not the first time Tipu Sultan has been at the centre of a controversy. In 2012, the Congress government wanted to name a new university in Srirangapatna after the ruler, after which people protested saying he was an anti-Hindu mass murderer.
“I seriously feel the Congress will stoop to any level to get votes,” said Pratap Simha, the BJP Member of Parliament from Mysore-Kodagu. “The kind of administration Tipu Sultan gave in Mysore was a tyrannical rule and everybody knows it. Even today if you ask anyone from this area, they respect the Wadiyar dynasty.”
Glowing accounts
However, even right-wing historians have written glowing accounts of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, pointed out Irfan Habib, a historian at the Aligarh Muslim University.
A chapter in a volume of The History and Culture of the Indian People edited by right-leaning historian RK Majumdar shortly after Independence deals with Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali. The essay, written by NK Sinha, is full of praise of the two – although more of Hyder Ali than Tipu Sultan – particularly because they refused to bow down to the British.
Tipu Sultan was the ruler of Mysore between 1782 and 1799. He died in battle with the British after they attempted to annex the kingdom. Tipu was only the second ruler of this dynasty. His father Hyder Ali, who was military commander of Mysore, took effective control of the kingdom in 1761, even as the Wadiyars remained on the throne in name. Hyder Ali passed the kingdom on to Tipu when he died.
While they were in power, the two fought vicious battles against their neighbours. These included the Marathas, the Nizams of Hyderabad and the British, but also the Malabar, Kodagu and Carnatic kingdoms.
Tipu and Hyder were also credited with attempts to modernise Mysore's economy. Tipu established the silk industry in Mysore that thrives even today. He established trading companies, bought modern ships and also had a banking system.
Tipu was lionised for several years for his resistance to the British, with some going as far as to credit him with being one of India’s earliest freedom fighters.
Today, a section of the right claims that Tipu Sultan was anti-Hindu and not as modern as people would like to believe. They say that Tipu Sultan could not be termed a freedom fighter as he was simply fighting for his own kingdom and not for a larger geographical area. Tipu Sultan was a tyrant within Mysore and brutal to his enemies outside it, they add, citing his forced conversions of Malabar Hindus to Islam.
“You go to any nook and corner of Tipu’s area, and he has done no social work,” Simha said. “Nothing stands in testimony to his good work, apart from the forts he built. On the other side, look at the contribution of Wodeyar dynasty, they built canals, dams.”
Conflict was political, not religious
While Tipu Sultan’s treatment of Hindus is perceived to be harsh, his treatment of Muslims was equally stern, B Sheik Ali told the Hindu. “The Mappillas of Malabar, Nawabs of Savanur, Cuddapah and Kurnool were inflicted severe treatment for their disloyalty and it was purely political in nature. One cannot ascribe communal or religious motives to it and Tipu Sultan was more hostile towards the Nizam than towards the Marathas.”
Habib also pointed out that even if the concept of India did not exist in the 18th century, Tipu Sultan still stood out from his contemporaries.
“The British did not want to destroy Tipu Sultan,” Habib said. “They wanted him to accept a subsidiary treaty and expel the French. He declined, but no other ruler did so. When the British came to Srirangapatnam, they thought Tipu would be waiting to sign the treaty, but he died defending his kingdom.”