Haidar Ali died at Arcot on 6th December, (1782), and the sad news reached his son, Tipu Sultan, on 1lth December, while engaged in a battle against the English at Paniany, about forty miles south of Calicut. He was overwhelmed with grief at the death of his father, who had been his friend and mentor, and who had from his early life devoted so much time and care to Tipu's education and upbringing. He hastened towards Seringapatam, reaching that city on the 20th, where he found the whole populace plunged in gloom. "Tipu Sultan had a brother named Karim Shah, he associated much with Fakirs and Dervishes, which conduct gave much offence to Hyder, notwithstanding he was a great favourite of his father." Tipu Sultan thus had no difficulty or opposition either in assuming the supreme command or the army of in succeeding to the throne left vacant due to his father's death.
Tipu Sultan attended to the funeral rites with the utmost solemnity and dedication, and ordered that his father's last resting place should be a befitting tribute to his valour and patriotism. When some ten years later, to be exact on 7th February, (1792), the English took possession of Seringapatam and desecrated the mausoleum and other buildings in Lal Bagh, on the eastern side of that city, and when the news of this act of barbarism reached Tipu Sultan, he was furious. When the British found it "impossible to procure any other materials for making fascines and gabions, Lord Cornwallis was under the necessity of permitting the cypress and other beautiful trees to be cut down for that purpose. The palaces and cloisters were, at the same time, converted into hospitals for the sick and wounded."
Tipu Sultan, infuriated at this, ordered his cannon to be fired at the English, who were busy desecrating the spot, which to Tipu Sultan was so sacred. “The Sultan's proud mind was much irritated at seeing this charming spot to ornament which he had bestowed so much pains, thus laid waste, and the tomb of his father contaminated by those whom he considered as infidels." Tipu Sultan continued to hold the memory of his father in great reverence to the last day of his life. It would be appropriate to briefly outline the history of the ancestors of Haidar Ali and of Tipu Sultan. "The illustrious Husun, son of Yahya, who was one of the heads of the noble family of Korish. ... obtained a commission from the sublime porte, a Shureef of Mecca and Medina, in his 35th year."
Husun had two sons, Mohammad and Ali. The latter died in his infancy, while Mohammad had a son named Uhmud. Mohammad died in (874) and his father Husun died in (875). On the death of the two elder members of the family, Uhmud being only fifteen, was passed over and the high appointment held by the family passed on to an outsider named Syed Ubdool Mulik. Annoyed at this affront to himself and his family, Uhmud left for Yemen and settled in Sunaa, where due to his fine appearance and his great tact and intelligence, he married the daughter of the Governor. At the time of his death, his father-in-law declared Uhmud to be his successor, placing his own son, five years old, in Uhmud's care.
Fifteen years passed in peace, when an ambitious adventurer, Solim, instigated the son of the late Governor, now twenty years old, to fight his brother-in-law, hoping to become himself the commander-in-chief, if the plot should succeed. Solim killed Uhmud with a poisoned dagger, while having a private audience with him. Uhmud had a faithful slave, named Qumbur, who avenged his master's death by assassinating Solim with his own hands, but taking care before this murder that Mohummud, the thirteen-year-old son of Uhmud, was taken in safety to Baghdad. There he married the daughter of a nobleman, through whom he had three sons, only one of whom, Ibraheem, survived. Ibraheem amassed enormous wealth and when he died he left behind a big fortune and a son, named Husun, one year old at the time.
The young Husun lost all the money made by his father, and was compelled to leave his native city for India, and he came and settled in Ajmer. Husun married in Ajmer, and when he died he left behind a son a few months old, named Vulee Mohumed, who after his marriage migrated to Delhi and then to Goolburga in the Deccan. His son Mohumed Ulee married "the daughter of one of the votaries of the celebrated saint Bundah Newaz Gasooduraze, the long-haired." After the death of his father, Mohumed Ulee migrated to Colar. He died in (1109), leaving behind four sons, Shaika Mohumed, Mohumed Ilyas, Mohumed Imaum, and Futtah Alee, alias Futtah Mohumed. Of these, “Futtah Mohumed, who was living at Arcot, invited Boorhnoodeen, a very respectable person descended from a priest, from Tanjavur, and married his daughter.
While his brother Imaum married his sister-in-law. A short time after he departed for Mysore, and there had two sons named Shhbaz and Vulee Mohumed, the latter of whom died in infancy; the death of his son grieved him much, and he took his family with him to the great Bolapore. In the year (1129 A.H.) a glorious son was born named Hyder Shah (father of Tipu Sultan), afterwards known as HyderUlee Khan Bahadur." Through his first wife Haidar Ali had one daughter, but no son. His wife was constantly sick and it became clear she could no more conceive any children. Haidar Ali, eager to have a son, asked permission from his wife to get married to another, in the hope that she would give birth to a son. The consent of his wife having been obtained, Haidar Ali married "the daughter of Nur Moinaddin, a person of respectable family.
And who for several years was governor or lord of the Fort of Kuddapah." It turned out to be a happy marriage, but the two parents were unhappy that they had been married for four years without being blessed by the birth of a child. Haidar Ali took his wife along with himself to a saintly person called Mustan Wali, who assured the two that he would pray for them and that their wish would be fulfilled. His prayers were heard and, “during this lady's pregnancy, she, in compliance with a custom frequent among the natives of India paid a visit to a Pir, or saint (Mustan Wali), to beg for blessings on her child, and prayers for her safe delivery. Her wishes being acceeded to, the holy man informed her that her son would become a powerful monarch, and requested she would confer on him the name of Tipu; his commands were obeyed, and the boy, when born, named Futteh Ali, Tipu." Different historians have given different dates of Tipu Sultan's birth, but Charles Stuart, in (1808), in his "Catalogue and Memories of Tippoo Sultaun", wrote, "Tippoo Sultaun was born in the year (1740).''
Haidar Ali was overjoyed at the birth of a son, and celebrated the event in a befitting manner. He became extremely fond of Tipu, and devoted on him all the love and care that a father is capable of. However, he did not want him to be a spoilt child, as was customary in so many noble families of the time, and so he brought up his son on a pattern of stocial discipline. “Sensible of the disadvantages under which he himself laboured for want of education, procured for his son the most able masters in all the sciences cultivated by the Mohammedans, and enforced, by strict discipline, the attendance of the youth to his studies.'' From a very early age, as usual with children in Muslim families, Tipu learnt the Holy Quran under able teachers of the Holy Book. Tipu Sultan continued to have a liking for studies and books throughout his life, in spite of the fact that his life was spent mostly on the battle-front, fighting to preserve the freedom of his peoples and of his country. He was a great patron of men of letters, and encouraged them to write books, paying them princely stipends to enable them to devote all their time to reading and writing. Among the many books that were written during his time and under his patronage were Khulasa-e-Sultani, Al-Mujahedeen, and Jawahr-al-Quran by Qazi Ghulam Ahmed, whose was the head Qazi of Seringapatam at that time. Another such book was Futuh-Namah-Tipu Sultan by the poet, Husain Ali Izat, a book of poetry, commemorating some of the victories of Tipu Sultan. This elegy begins thus:
. . . . . . Ajaeb Suno Dostan Dastan
. . . . . . Jiske Bayan Men Qasir Hai Zaban
Another book written under the Sultan's patronage by the poet Izat was Mafah Al Quloob, in which he has recorded his views on classical music. When Tipu was born, Haidar Ali was only an officer in the service of Mysore, and thereafter his rise was phenomenal. When Tipu was five, Haidar Ali was appointed Governor of Dundeeghal, and a year later he became a general in the Mysore Army. It is possible Haidar Ali attributed his phenomenal rise to the birth of Tipu, and this increased manifold his love for his son. Haidar Ali engaged such great scholars as Nasiruddin Turk and Husain Ali Izat as his teachers, and under their able guidance Tipu developed a love for learning.
Tipu grew up to be a handsome and dashing young man, and his father began to plan in his mind the marriage of his favourite son. He decided on getting his son married to the daughter of Imam Sahib Bux, one of his noblemen. But Tipu's mother was vehemently opposed to this match, being determined that her son would get married to the daughter of one of her relatives, Lala Mian. Husband and wife argued the question for a long time, each maintaining that the other's choice was entirely wrong. This domestic quarrel was ultimately resolved by Haidar Ali, who decided that Tipu should marry both the girls at the same time. Thus the dispute between his father and mother gifted Tipu with an additional wife, and he found himself in his youth the husband of two wives.
Haidar Ali engaged able instructors to teach Tipu the martial exercises of riding, shooting and fencing. As he grew up, Tipu learnt under his father the tactics of war, and the discipline and the art of war, especially as practised by the Europeans at that time. His first personal experience was in the years (1767) and (1768), when his father invaded the Carnatic.Young in years, but brave on the battlefield, Tipu com- manded a corps of cavalry, rendering an excellent accounts of himself as a general. At this time he laid waste a great part of the neighbourhood of Madras. When Haidar Ali was engaged in a relentless war against the Marathas from (1775) to (1779), Tipu was a great source of strength to his father, and his daring exploits at that early age clearly marked him out as an outstanding military general and leader of men of the future. In July (1780).
“when the army of Hyder Ali rushed like a prodigious torrent into the Carnatic" Tipu was in charge of a force of (18,000) cavalry, (6,000) infantry and 12 pieces of cannon. Tipu distinguished himself in all the battles he fought under his father, and Hydar Ali looked upon his son with great inner satisfaction as the man of destiny after him. In a subsequent engagement with the English, Tipu annihilated the English army under Colonel Bailey and, "for this action he received much applause from his father who, from that period, considered his son as one of his most able generals." Tipu also ably assisted his father during the sieges of Vellore, Permacoil, Chingleput, Wandewash and Trichinopoly. After having attended to the funeral rites of his father at Seringapatam and having declared himself the successor to his father, Tipu Sultan returned to Arcot to fight the English, taking command of the entire operations in his own hands. His father had spent his whole life fighting the English with a view to preserve the freedom of his peoples, and to this end Tipu Sultan now dedicated his whole life His determination to rebel against the English was not actuated by historical expediency, but by an inborn conviction that the success of the English would result in the servitude of his nation.
"Human beings emancipate themselves only on the basis of natural groups." and his people under his inspired leadership rallied to his call to fight the common foe. In April (1783), Tipu Sultan, marching at the head of an army of (100,000), engaged the English in a battle near Bednore. General Matthews was in charge of the English forces and fierce fighting took place between the two opposing armies. Tipu. Sultan's superior tactics succeeded and he laid siege to the fort of Bednore, and the English garrison, overcome by heavy odds, was forced to capitulate. The following terms were agreed upon. "The garrison to be allowed the honours of war, and to pile their arms on the glacis. They were to retain all their private effects, but to restore all public property. They were to be marched by the shortest route to the seacoast, and thence conveyed by shipping to Bombay; and to be supplied, both on the march and passage, with provisions and every other requisite." Subsequently, due to "the embezzlement of the treasure found in Bednore by General Matthews, and the wanton behaviour of the troops," Tipu Sultan put many English soldiers and officers in jail.
After his resounding victory at Bednore, Tipu Sultan proceeded to rescue Mangalore from the English, who were entrenched in that city under Major Campbell. In this venture, Tipu Sultan had the active assistance of the French army. But when the fighting had started in right earnest, the French deserted him, as peace had been declared in Europe between the English and the French. This was a stunning blow to him, but Tipu Sultan was lion-hearted, and it was in circumstances of grave peril that he rose to heroic heights. To add to his troubles, General MacLeod arrived by sea from Bombay with a large contingent of English forces. The fighting that ensued was ferocious, until Sir George Staunton arrived from Madras and a peace was drawn up between Tipu Sultan and the English. Freed from the cares of this front, he went with his army to fight the Marathas, who had been at their old game of striking blows to the rising Muslim power in the South. Tipu Sultan attacked and captured the forts of Darwar and Badamy, and "the possession of the fortresses gave him complete command of all the Maratha districts south of the Gutpurba and Kistnah rivers."
Tipu Sultan was a far-sighted general. Surrounded as he was by the English and the Marathas, both of whom were after his blood, he ordered that provisions be stored up at Seringapatam to last his army of (100,000) for one year. In (1787) and (1788), Tipu Sultan marched with his army against Coorg, as the latter had rebelled against his authority. In " the space of eight months some (80,000) persons, men and women, were made prisoners, with several chiefs, and many of their strongholds and towns were reduced." Tipu Sultan was a devout Muslim, who spent money freely for the building of mosques and for providing a living to people who were devoted to the teaching of Islam. Brought up in soldierly traditions, Tipu Sultan was temperamentally a puritan.
This is evident from the fact that "he also prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquors, and ordered that all the date and palm trees in his kingdom should be rooted up, and the cultivation of them in future prohibited; though by so doing he greatly decreased the amount of his revenue ..... Nonetheless, he dealt with all his subjects, irrespective of their religious beliefs, with utter impartiality. He often made grants of huge sums of monies to Hindu priests and Pandits for works connected with their religion. In this connection it may be pointed out that there are three letters, written by Tipu Sultan in Kanarese, which are at present in the Serin Giri Math at Seringapatam, and which speak eloquently of Tipu's tolerance in the matter of religious beliefs of his subjects. In matters pertaining to state affairs, he depended on the advice of ministers, some of whom were Hindus, and "his favourite Dewan (Prime Minister) Purnea" was also a Hindu."
Tipu Sultan had fought against the English during the lifetime of his father and also after he ascended the throne, and his personal experience had convinced him that in order to be successful against the English, he should have the active assistance of the well-equipped French army. In order to ensure a permanent and lasting alliance with the French, he sent in (1784) Ghulam Ali Khan and two of his trusted advisers as ambassadors to the Court of France, and the three reached Constantinople, but due to considerable obstacles, they returned to Mysore in 1786. Tipu Sultan was disappointed. However, once again he selected three of his advisers, Mohammad Darvesh Khan, Akbar Ali Khan and Mohammad Osman Khan, who left Pondicherry in a French vessel on 22nd July, (1787), and reched Toulon on 9th June in the following year. "They were most graciously received by Louis the Sixteenth, who, at their public audience on the 10th of July, displayed all the pomp and grandeur of his court."
However, "pressed with the load of enormous national debt, and alarmed by the symptoms of general discontent which soon after burst forth, he (Louis the Sixteenth) could only assure the ambassadors of his friendship for their master, and promise of future assistance, when delivered from his own cares and anxieties." The three emissaries returned empty-handed to Seringapatam in May (1789). "Tipu Sultan was one of the most remarkable persons in the history of Islam. At a time when most Muslim politicians and leaders were still incapable of discovering the importance of the rise of European nations, Tipu developed a world consciousness...... He thought of entering into an alliance with one European power to defeat another on an international basis, and visualised an alliance of Muslim powers to meet the new challenge." In June, (1789).
Tipu Sultan led his army against the Raja of Cochin, and succeeded in capturing several of his cities and forts. The Raja solicited the help of the English, who readily sent a strong army under. Colonel Hartley. The English had decided to go all out to crush Tipu Sultan, who was the only man who seemed to thwart their designs of establishing English Raj in India. The English supported the alliance of the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan against Tipu Sultan. English diplomacy succeeded, and Tipu Sultan found himself opposed by the combined forces of the English, of the Marathas and of the Nizam. Tipu Sultan, with his army, withdrew from Travancore and returned to Seringapatam.
The combination of the English, the Marathas and the Nizam was proving too formidable for Tipu Sultan, more so as the French were refusing to ally themselves with his cause. Therefore, in (1792), these combined forces proved to be overwhelming and Tipu Sultan "at length agreed to cede to the allies one-half of his dominions, the annual revenues of which were worth 90 lacs of rupees (£900,000); to pay to them in the course of twelve months, the sum of three Krore and 30 lacs of rupees (£3,030,000)". In this hour of his crisis, his subjects, both Hindus and Muslims, stood by him. His council of ministers met to devise ways and means of collecting by way of taxes the amount of 3 crore rupees. New taxes were levied, and the people willingly responded, "and in lieu of three, ten krore were collected".
Tipu Sultan could see that unless the English were defeated, they would succeed in setting up an alien imperialism over India. He was a born freedom fighter, and he could not reconcile himself to such an eventuality. He carried on correspondence with Governments outside India—with France, Afghanistan, Persia, Nepal and Mauritius to help him to defend their liberty against the usurpers, the English. But his attempts in this direction did not meet with any success. Relentless and rebellious against the English, he merely wanted to defend the most cherished of all his possessions-liberty and freedom-possessions which were worth preserving, even if in their defence Tipu Sultan was forced to sacrifice his life. During his last battle against the English, Tipu Sultan said to his close associates, "as a man could die only once, it was of little consequence when the period of his existence might terminate."
On the death of his father, Tipu Sultan had inherited a state covering (80,000) square miles, and to this he had added, among other territories, Adoni, Sanore, Koorke, Anagoondy, Kurpah, Kurnool and Imteazgur. At one time, when he had ordered an inventory to be made of his treasures and jewels, it was found they were worth eighty crore rupees. He also had (700) elephants, (6,000) camels, (11,000) horses, (400,000) bullocks and cows, (100,000) buffaloes, (600,000) sheep, (300,000) firelocks, (300,000) matchlocks, (200,000) swords, (22,000) pieces of cannon. "He found a new code of regulations for his army He reduced the cavalry, and augmented the infantry. He adopted Persian and Tartar terms for the words of command; which were previously given in English and French, and gave new names to the different divisions of the army."
His spirit, in spite of his reverses, soared to kiss heroic heights, but the petty-mindedness and treachery of other Indian powers around him, dragged him down, thus paving the way for Western domination. His face was now furrowed with the wrinkles of age, anxiety and care. In his youthful days he was a handsome prince. He was five feet nine inches, having a round face, large and sparkling dark eyes, an aquiline nose, and an expression of eagerness and animation perpetually adorned his face. "He wore mustachois, but shaved his beard.” He was fond of an active outdoor life, and, therefore, Tipu Sultan often indulged in horse-riding and "in hunting especially the lion and tiger, which is performed on horseback." When he could not afford time for these activities, “he frequently took long walks, what is very uncommon in princes of the East." However, he had a great love for books, and he would devote some time to reading each day of his life, unless he was on the war front. He passed a great portion of the day in his study. He was of brown complexion and, despite his active and vigorous ways of life, was "inclined to corpulency."
The care and attention that was given to Tipu's education during his father's time paid rich dividends. He showed a keen interest in collecting books for his personal library, which was indeed a difficult undertaking in those days, when most of the books were handwritten manuscripts. Tipu Sultan's library is said to have contained two thousand books, each of which bore the royal seal of Tipu Sultan's library. After Tipu Sultan had read a book, it would be once again stamped accordingly. After the death of Tipu Sultan, this most valuable library of rare manuscripts fell into the hands of the British."Marquis Wellesley, later Governor-General, sensible of the utility of a library at the new institution at Fort William, Calcutta, was pleased to order that the immense and valuable library of the late Sultan be transferred to that place, which was accordingly done-a part of the same, with other valuables, being sent to the East India House in England.
The valuable Bird of Paradise, formed with precious stones, and other parts of the Sultan's throne, his armour, swords muskets, and other curious articles, were placed in Windsor Castle." During the days of Haidar Ali, and subsequently during the the lifetime of Tipu Sultan, Urdu was fast spreading as an important language of the sub-continent. It had reached Mysore, and there was a sizable population that could speak Urdu, although the court language continued to be Persian. But both Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan gave every encouragement to Urdu, particularly the latter, being a great patron of learning. Tipu Sultan patronised Urdu poets of the day, some of whom were Shah Mohamed Sadruddin, Shaikh Mian Fazalullah Faquir, Shah Kamaluddin Kamal and Mir Husain Ali. Tipu Sultan also established at Seringapatam what may be considered equivalent to a modern university. According to Mahmood Khan Mahmood Bangalori, Tipu Sultan was a good poet in Urdu and he had also written a number of books in Urdu, besides having commissioned many authors to write books in Urdu.
Different authorities have held different opinions as to who, when and where started the first newspaper in Urdu. Shaikh Mohamed Ismail Panipati claims that in (1794) Tipu Sultan ordered an Urdu press to be installed in Seringapatam, which would have Arabic type, so that a newspaper could be brought out in Urdu. The royal command was obeyed and the press started working. A newspaper was printed at the press, and it was called "Fauji Akhbar". As it was a military paper, it was distributed among the officers in the army, and did not reach the masses. “Although Persian was the language of the court, Tipu Sultan was far-sighted enough to see that the day would soon come, when Urdu would become the language of the people." Tipu Sultan could speak fluently in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese, Urdu, English and French. He was a good student of the science of palmistry and astrology. A soldier by upbringing and training, he liked to have fine military marches for his army. Being fond of music, he is reported to have composed some military marches himself. One such march sang :
Barg jan koh giran paike ajal daste kaza
Teg wo gurz wo teero wo khanjar ke hain char nam
Tipu Sultan had a special piano fixed in one of his palaces, as also a "statue of an Englishman, near where the piano was installed. The piano would play with the roar of a lion, and on this through the mouth of the statue would emerge the trembling voice of an Englishman. Haidar Ali had carved out a kingdom for himself in the face of opposition of the Marathas and the English, and Tipu Sultan continued to rule over Mysore, but there was no despotism under their rule. Under Tipu Sultan the basic law was Shar and, like a true Muslim, he admitted in a letter to the Nizam that his people "constitute a unique trust held for God, the Real Master."
He thus filfilled the basic concept of a Muslim Government-all sovereign power rests with God. He called himself “a citizen of Mysore", in order to fully identify himself with the masses of his people. His people were prosperous and contented, and his territories were "the best cultivated and its population the most flourishing in India." Tipu Sultan introduced many administrative and other reforms during his time, thus entitling him to be called a progressive and a benevolent ruler of his people. Although he was the undisputed head of the Government, the administration of his kingdom worked through well-defined departments, which were eighteen in number, but which were later on expanded. Each department carried on its administration, and the Sultan exercised an overall jurisdiction and control over them.
He also introduced reforms in his army and, like his father, gave special attention to building a powerful navy. In this connection, "in (1793) he built a naval college at Bhatkul for training in modern methods of naval warfare."For purposes of land assessment, Tipu Sultan divided agricultural land in two categories-land depending on rain and land irrigated by rivers and tanks. The value of the crop actually produced was the measure of taxation, and not the area of land possessed. The cultivator paid his land assessment both in cash and kind. Tipu Sultan was keen on agricultural development and to achieve this object, he granted Government waste lands on terms favourable to the peasantry, there being a complete moratorium on land rent chargeable for the first year, and partial moratorium for the next four years. He encouraged farmers by giving them taqavi loans, thus minimising the tyrannical imposition by usurpers. His laws severely punished those found guilty of enforcing forced labour on the peasants. An appropriate estimate of his revenues could be said to be around rupees two crores a year.
Tipu Sultan realised the enormous importance of increasing commerce and industry in the national economy of a developing country. He established his own trading companies at important seaports, on the model of the East India Company. He seems to have had some overseas trade as well, as he had established a factory at Muscat, from where a two-way traffic was maintained in commerce between Muscat and Mysore. For concession received from the Sultan of Muscat, he reciprocated by giving a concession in duty of 4 per cent on articles imported from Muscat. He had a trading officer in Jeddah, and trade commissioners and ambassadors in France, Turkey, Iran, China and Burma. He was a great patron of the private sector, and encouraged merchants within his kingdom to expand their trade and industry, both within his territories as also outside. Among the industries he developed in Mysore, special mention must be made of the silk industry. He encouraged skilled French artisans to take employment in his factories, with a view to improve their products. These foreign technicians worked in his factories at Seringapatam, Chialdrug, Bangalore and Bednur, where “besides guns, muskets and other arm they manufactured cutlery, knives, scissors, and watches.
In order to mitigate the disadvantages of under-employment in an agricultural economy, Tipu Sultan encouraged cottage industries, particularly pottery, wood-work, ivory-Work carpet-making, and glassware. He introduced reforms in the field of coins and currency. When he succeeded his father, he inherited only two mints, but he went on steadily increasing them, until there were twelve in all, at Seringapatam, Bednur, Gooty, Bangalore, Chitaldrug, Calicut, Satyamangalam, Dindigul, Gurram-Konda, Darwar, Mysore and Ferokh. Tipu Sultan's favourite animal was the lion, and he was himself lion-hearted; his favourite hero of history was Hazrat Ali, because of his bravery on many battlefields in the cause of Islam. Many of his weapons of war had inscribed on them one of the titles of Hazrat Ali, namely (“Asadullah-ul-Ghlib').
He was a dedicated Mujahid, carrying on an unending fight against his foreign tues. He preached Jihad to his soldiers, and in the first chapter of his Army Manual, Fath-al-Mujahidin, it is said that "Jihad against the aggressive disbelievers for the triumph of the Faith is described as real Islam." Tipu Sultan's first fight against the English was when he was about seventeen, under the able command of his father, Haidar Ali. He was now fifty-eight, having spent over forty years carrying on this struggle against the foreign enemy. In one of his memorable addresses to his officers, he is said to have encouraged them to fight the British in the following words, “To live a day like a lion is far better than a hundred year's life of a jackal". The English were out to bring all the princes of India under their suzerainty, and Tipu Sultan was determined to resist their domination.
In June (1798), Marquis Wellesly was actuated by the imperial designs of the English in India to deal a final blow to the Grand Rebel of the South, Tipu Sultan. From now on military preparations of the English were directed to this one purpose. He sent threatening letters to Tipu Sultan, accusing him of inviting the French and other outside powers to come to his help to fight the English. Tipu Sultan realised that the English were amassing all their forces to have a final trial of strength with his army. Wellesly issued orders "on 3rd February (1799), for the British armies, and those of the allies, immediately to invade the Sultan's dominions."
On the February, the British army, under the command of General Harris, marched from Vellore and were joined by the forces of the Nizam, heading towards Seringapatam. On 4th March the combined armies camped on the frontier of Mysore, and on the following day hostilities commenced The British army, assisted by the forces of some Indian princes far outnumbered the army of Tipu Sultan. In spite of this grievous handicap, Tipu Sultan marched at the head of his army from Seringapatam to Madur, in order to give battle to the enemy. After a brief initial success, Tipu Sultan's army left the battle-field, leaving a great number of dead. After resting his army, he again marched to meet the British under General Harris. In a fierce battle on the 27th, Tipu Sultan found he had lost a great number of officers and over a thousand of his best soldiers.
Meeting reverse after reverse, Tipu Sultan was compelled to retreat to the fortified city of Seringapatam. Surrounded by the British army, he wrote a letter on 9th April to the British Commander, General Harris, "The Governor-General Lord Mornington Bahadur, sent me a letter, a copy of which is enclosed; you will understand it. I have adhered firmly to treaties. What then is the meaning of the advance of the English armies and the occurrence of the hostilities. On the 14th, General Harris received reinforcements, with the arrival of the Bombay army, and on the 20th the English army attacked the entrenchment on the south bank of the river. On the 22nd, General Harris sent to Tipu Sultan a draft of the terms on which the English Would make peace with him. The Sultan replied on the 28th that being an important matter it needed discussion and "I am therefore about to send two gentlemen to you, and have no doubt but a conference will take place." General Harris refused to meet the two emissaries and told the Sultan either to accept the terms in toto or to face the consequences.
Tipu Sultan was not to be bullied, and he knew that the terms of the English were so humiliating that they were more than a military defeat. He quietly but determinedly began preparations for a final show-down. Fighting broke out in all its fury on 3rd May (1799). At this time, the Sultan was living in one of the gateways, called Gullaly Didy, on the northern rampart, in order to be near the place of attack. He addressed his army and said, "I would defend the fort to the last extremity, and that, as a man could die only once, it was of little consequence, when the period of his existence might terminate." The next day saw the situation precariously poised for Tipu Sultan, but he did not show any signs of panic or fear. As he returned for a respite to his apartment, a procession of Brahmin astrologers waited on him, and announced that some terrible misfortune might take place, and that it could be averted by prayers and by pious offerings. To this suggestion the Sultan agreed.
In the afternoon the Sultan left his apartment. "He was dressed in a light coloured jacket, with trousers of fine chintz, a sash of red silk, and a rich turban. He wore two embroidered belts with precious stones, in one of which was his sword and from the other was suspended a cartouch box. He had also tied on his right arm a talisman, composed of prayers and verses of the Koran, enclosed in a silver case." When news was brought to him that one of his commanders, Syed Ghofar, had been killed, he quetly said, "Syed Ghofar was a brave man, and feared not death; he has obtained the crown of martyrdom."
He returned late in the evening to his apartment for dinner. But before he could finish his dinner, he was disturbed by a fierce noise, which indicated that the British had once again renewed the attack. "He instantly washed his hands, buckled on his sword, and ordered his Fusils to be loaded." When he came to the battle-front, he soon perceived from the fate of his fugitive army that things were going against him. He repeatedly fired on the English and killed several of them. However, "when the front of the English column approached where he stood, most of his attendants having deserted him, the Sultan was obliged to retreat." Then he mounted his horse and endeavoured to enter the town, the entrance being crowded by numerous fugitives. “Whilst in this situation, a party of his horsemen fired into the gateway, and wounded the Sultan in the left breast." Soon after he received another would in the right side.
His horse being severely wounded fell under him, and his turban fell to the ground. The Sultan lay on the ground, severely wounded. One of his attendants suggested that the Sultan let the English know who he was in the hope that they may save his life. "This he disdainfully refused."' Some more English soldiers arrived on the scene, one of them attempted to relieve the Sultan of his richly ornamented belt. “The wounded Prince, who still held his sword in his iright hand, made a cut at the soldier, and wounded him about the knee; when the latter instantaneously fired his musket and shot him through the temple, which caused immediate death."
After the fighting was over, the Commanding Officer, General Baird, came in the evening, accompanied by several servants of the Sultan to search for his body. There he lay, that great hero and rebel, “his countenance was no way distorted, but had an expression of stern composure. The turban, sash, sword and belt were gone." The body lay in the palace for the night and in the afternoon of 5th May, (1799), the funeral procession, very largely attended, and with the utmost solemnity and dignity, moved from the fort. The body was lowered amidst the firing of guns, into a grave dug near the mausoleum of his father, Haidar Ali. "A charitable donation of (12,000) rupees was distributed to the different fakirs and poor persons who attended the funeral."
Over the simple grave of the martyr a plain tomb of marble was later on erected with an inscription in Persian, which, translated in English would read, “As Tippoo Sultaun vowed to wage a holy war, the Almighty conferred the rank of Martydom on him, the date of which Shuheer declares thus: “The Defender of the Faith, and the Sovereign of the World, hath departed.' Composed by Syed Abdal Cadir, "(A.H.1213)"called, poetically, Shehir.
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