Tipu's Mysore - An Industrial state

Tipu Sultan envisioned a prosperous and progressive state in Mysore and Industrialized Mysore to the greatest extent. He realized that Industrialization is the need of the hour and for any state to become self sufficient, industrialization is going to be the key.
He setup a wide array of industries in his dominions based on the conditions, geographical demographics of the particular region to compliment and boost the production and propagation of that particular trade. 

Ramanagar Silk industries

 He introduced and setup the silk industries in Ramnagar, the toy and wooden handicrafts industries in Channapatna, the state armoury in Srirangpatan, the highly fertile river delta of Srirangpatan and neighbouring Mandya was used for irrigation. Kolar for gold extraction, Mangalore for fisheries and ports, Kunigal for stud farming, Srirangpatan was also a seat of learning.

Channapatna toys

He envisioned Coorg for coffee production and timber. Chikamagalur is also known for coffee production till date. Nazarabad was the military research and training center where the Mysore army trained with the French.

Coffee crops from coorg

Mysoori or the Mysorean race

The term Mysore is derived from the name Mahishasura, it is an ancient establishment dating back to the era of chalukyas and much past it.
Mysore was not very relevant as a state nor at the helm of affairs until, it shone at the centrestage of the world during the reign of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Mysore has been a melting pot of various cultures, Kannadigas (kshatriyas of the Chola, Chalukya dynasties, Vijayanagara Kingdom, etc.), the early Afghan settlers running away from the massacre of Genghis Khan via the land route, the Traders and Merchants of Arabia via the sea route, Warrior tribes from Samarkhand, the soldiers of Khanate, Marathas, vokkaligas and other local tribesmen. Apart from these the craftsmen, traders, merchants, farmers, common folk formed the backbone of the state economy.
All these different races mixed and comprised the people called the Mysooris or Mysoreans.
Fearless, Loyal, sturdy yet caring, accepting and tolerant.
This place has been known for it's accepting, tolerant and loving people (till date the people of karnataka are considered far tolerant towards immigrants from various other states)

The Mysorean, Mysoori (in Urdu) became prominent as a sturdy opposing entity to the the British empire in India. No Indian state nor any country can claim to equal the fear struck at the hearts of the English, than the forces of Mysore. A force to reckon with, the Mysorean Army was a single unit under the one command of their able leader. Technologically advanced, they had a strong Naval presence along the Malabar coast. They had trade ties with countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East and south east Asia and a strong industrial setup which was self sustaining.

Tracing my heritage in the land of the Sultan

Me being a resident of Bangalore, an urbanite. Whose roots and family tree span past the Mysore sultanate era, it has always been my forte to trace my heritage back to the erstwhile Mysore state.
The sense of pride in carrying the badge of being a Mysorian in my chest always emanates from within me.
My efforts have got me to like minded souls and experts who are dedicated to researching and unearthing facts and the hidden truths from the history of the sultanate of Mysore.
Firstly, the seminary Darul Umoor secondly, Prof. Sheikh Ali who is the former vice chancellor of the Mangalore and Goa Universities not to forget Ex-President of India A.P.J Abdul Kalam and Bhagwan Gidwani the author of 'the sword of Tippu Sultan.'
It is shameful to note that, a few authors of questionable repute are maligning the image of the Sultan for their own petty gains, reasons vary from being a half-baked religious bigot to a politically motivated salvo.
Here is a video tribute to the people of Mysore, to our valiant King, to our proud culture and heritage!

Depiction of the Sultan

Being a religious, humble man that the Sultaun was, he never had himself pictorically represented as it is forbidden in Islam. The only representations of the Sultaun are those derived from the works of British artists who as a matter of fact never had seen the Sultaun in their lifetime.
Their interpretations are purely imaginative and more so maligned intentionally for propagandist reasons.
The only true work which can be accepted is that of a French Artist who visited the Mysore Durbar and carved the image of the Sultaun upon returning back home. which is the same picture as on this blog. The current popular depiction of the Sultaun which is widely circulated is that of a Bald, overweight, clean shaven Sultaun, who is depicted that way to please the British masses and show their most formidable foe as belittled and a no-show. The Indian government is circulating the same because it is in their interest to show a non-religious Sultaun which, has now become the only way to tag someone as SECULAR.

Muslim historians who have seen their Sultaun give the following depiction-"The Noble Sultan was of tall stature more than 6ft in height, broad shoulders, chest being over 40 adi(inch), explicit facial features, fair with a Roman nose, which gave him a dignified look nothing short of artistic beauty."

Can we go with the British depictions???

Alexander Beatson, considered to be a propagandist Author who, published a volume entitled "View of the Origin and Conduct of the War with the late Tippoo Sultaun" on the Fourth Mysore War, described Tippu Sultan as follows: "His stature was about five feet eight inches; he had a short neck, square shoulders, and was rather corpulent: his limbs were small, particularly his feet and hands; he had large full eyes, small arched eyebrows, and an aquiline nose; his complexion was fair, and the general expression of his countenance, not void of dignity".

What do you think of a Man who undergoes military training from the age of 6 or 7, a master swordsman and a legendary horseman, whose genes are from a father who was a Khan and massive at that. Nawab Haidar Ali was a big guy, one of the giants of the Mysore army.
Tipu Sultaun was called the "Tiger of Mysore". It is said that Tipu Sultaun was hunting in the forest with a French friend. He came face to face with a tiger. His gun did not work, and his dagger fell on the ground as the tiger jumped on him. He wrestled the tiger with his bare hands and tore its jaws open. That earned him the name "the Tiger of Mysore".

Two depictions, both are poles apart...

It clearly shows the intentions of an imperialist, extremist and narrow thinking British society, a country which milked an entire nation of it's riches, robbed them of their ideals, maligned their history and bled them dry. Not just that, they even sowed the seeds of eternal hatred between two communities who once ate their meals in one platter, shared their joys and sorrows, overlooked by their righteous king!!

Birth of an Icon.

Tipu Sultan was born at Devanahalli, in present-day Bangalore district, some 45 kilometers North of Bangalore City. The exact date of his birth is not known; various sources claim various dates between 1749 and 1753. According to one widely accepted dating, he was born on November 10, 1750 (Friday, 10th Zil-Hijja, 1163 AH). His father, Haidar Ali, was the de-facto ruler of Mysore. His mother, Fakhr-un-nissa (also called Fatima), was a daughter of Shahal Tharique, governor of the fort of Cuddapah. Tipu Sultan was a religious man practising Sunni branch of Islam, he was named after the famous Sufi saint Tippu Mastaan.

Long live his Vision !

Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapatan/Sanj-patan), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Indian Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 (the time of his father's death) until his own demise in 1799. He was the first son of Haidar Ali and Fatima alias Fakhr-un-nissa.

Tipu Sultan was undoubtedly the greatest Ruler produced by the Indian subcontinent, the only resistance provided to the imperialist British forces, the only king to have not surrendered or submitted to the British, the only King to have died in the battlefield, he did not flee from the battle in the face of defeat and death. A fascinating figure of 18th century, who offered his blood to write the history of free India. He had a vision and a mission in life. The vision was to make his people enlightened and prosperous, and mission was to liberate his land from the yoke of the colonials. His short but stormy rule is significant because of his view that only that life was worth living which would unfold the drama of human freedom, not only political freedom, but also social freedom, economic freedom, cultural freedom, and freedom from want, hunger, apathy, ignorance and superstition. His definition of State itself was organized energy for freedom.

Heaps of praise and respect are showered at the Sultan not just by his admirers but also the foes.

"In the management of the horse, the bow, the lance or the musket, [Tipu] shone pre-eminent. He was also an excellent scholar, and even though inured to war from infancy, reputed a good poet and was respected in the army as an excellent and indefatigable soldier."

The Hon. John Lindsay, Journal of An Imprisonment in Seringapatam, in 'Lives of the Lindsays' (1840).