TIPU JAYANTI - HISTORY
News: Tipu Jayanti Celebrated Peacefully At Karnataka's Hubballi Eidgah Ground
What's in the news?
● The
controversial Eidgah ground in Karnataka's Hubballi turned into a fortress
today as the celebration of the birth anniversary of Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan
was organized by Asaduddin Owaisi's party AIMIM.
● Pramod
Muthalik, the chief of Sri Ram Sena, and members of the extreme Hindu
right-wing organization were detained as they tried to disrupt the programme.
● Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary is on December 1. However, the erstwhile Congress government in Karnataka chose November 10 as the day for celebrations to mark the occasion.
TIPU SULTAN:
● Born
in November 1750, Tipu Sultan was Haidar Ali’s son and a great warrior, also
known as the Tiger of Mysore.
● He
was a well-educated man fluent in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese and Urdu.
● Mysore
had grown in strength under the leadership of powerful rulers like Haidar Ali
(ruled from 1761 to 1782) and his famous son Tipu Sultan (ruled from 1782 to
1799).
● Tipu
introduced a number of administrative
innovations during his rule, including his coinage, a new Mauludi lunisolar calendar, and a new land revenue
system which initiated the growth of Mysore silk industry.
● Embracing western military methods like artillery and rockets alongside traditional Indian weapons including war elephants, he ensured his forces could overwhelm his Indian rivals and match the British armies sent against him.
Maintenance of Armed Forces:
● He
organized his army on the European model with Persian words of command.
● Though
he took the help of the French officers to train his soldiers, he never allowed
them (French) to develop into a pressure group.
● He
was well aware of the importance of a naval
force.
● In
1796, he set up a Board of Admiralty
and planned for a fleet of 22 battleships and 20 large frigates.
● He established three dockyards at Mangalore, Wajedabad and Molidabad. However, his plans did not fructify.
Fought Against Marathas:
● In 1767, Tipu commanded a corps of cavalry against the Marathas in the Carnatic (Karnataka) region of western India, and he fought against the Marathas on several occasions between 1775 and 1779.
Role in Anglo-Mysore Wars:
● The
British saw Haidar and Tipu as ambitious, arrogant and dangerous – rulers who
had to be controlled and crushed.
● Four
wars were fought with Mysore.
○ 1767-69: Treaty of
Madras.
○ 1780-84: Treaty of
Mangalore.
○ 1790-92: Treaty of
Srirangapatinam.
○ 1799: Subsidiary
Alliance.
● Only
in the last, the Battle of Seringapatam - did the Company ultimately win a
victory. Tipu Sultan was killed defending his capital Seringapatam.
● Mysore was placed under the former ruling dynasty of the Wodeyars and a subsidiary alliance was imposed on the state.
Other Related Points:
● He
was also a patron of science and technology and is credited as the ‘pioneer of rocket technology’ in India.
● He wrote a military
manual (Fathul Mujahidin) explaining the operation of rockets.
● Tipu
was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat who gave his support to the
French soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797.
● Tipu
himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called
Citizen Tipu.
● He
planted the Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.