Synopsis:
Over two centuries have passed since his death on May 4, 1799. Yet Tipu Sultan’s legacy continues to perplex India and her contemporary politics. A fascinating and enigmatic figure in India’s military past, Tipu remains a modern historian’s biggest puzzle. That’s because he simultaneously means different things to different people, depending on how one chooses to look at his life.
Tipu’s ascent to power was accidental. His father, Haidar Ali, was a beneficiary of the benevolence of the Maharaja of Mysore. However, in a fascinating turn of events, the Machiavellian Haidar ran with the hare and hunted with the hounds. He eventually ended up overthrowing his own benefactor and usurping the throne of Mysore from the Wodeyars in 1761. In a war-scarred life, the father-son duo led Mysore through four momentous battles against the British, termed the Anglo-Mysore Wars. The first two, led by Haidar, brought the English East India Company to its knees. Chasing the enemy to the very gates of Madras, Haidar made the British sign such humiliating terms of treaties that sent shockwaves back in London.
In the hubris of this success, Tipu obtained the kingdom on a platter, unlike his father, who worked up the ranks to achieve glory. In a diabolical war thirst, Tipu launched lethal attacks on Malabar, Mangalore, Travancore, and Coorg. Driven by a mania for power, he left behind a trail of death, destruction and, worse, mass-conversions and the desecration of Hindu places of worship. While he was an astute administrator and a brave soldier, Tipu’s foolhardiness on matters of faith upset both – the strategic tact with opponents and the diplomatic balance that Haidar had sought to maintain with the Hindu majority. The social report card of his eighteenth-century rule was anything but clean. And yet, one simply cannot deny his position as a renowned military warrior and one of the most powerful rulers of Southern India.
Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore’s Interregnum (1760-1799) by Vikram Sampath is a meticulously researched and authoritative window into the life and times of one of the most debated figures from India’s history.
Genre: Sociology / Indian History
Price: ₹1499 ₹919
Format: Hardcover
Published: October 2024
Number of Pages: 984
Language: English
Author: Vikram Sampath
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN-13: 978-0670094691