Tipu Sultan: 10 interesting facts about the ‘Tiger of Mysore’

Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, is revered as the fearless Indian ruler with impeccable warfare skills.

"It is far better to live like a lion for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years." - Tipu Sultan.

Tipu Sultan: A figure without whom the history of Indian freedom fight will forever be incomplete! Being the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in South India, he introduced several administrative innovations and developed new warfare strategies to improve the overall political as well as socio-economic scenarios in his kingdom. But he is mostly remembered as the fierce warrior who went on to stand up against the British rule in South India.

Here are some interesting yet lesser-known facts about Tipu Sultan:

He was born as Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Sahab to Hyder Ali and Fatima Fakhr Un Nisa. He was later renamed as Tipu Sultan after the saint Tipu Mastan Aulia of Arcot.

Tipu Sultan got training in military tactics at a very young age. He assisted his father in the First Mysore War (1766) at the age of 15.

During his reign, Tipu introduced coinage, a new Mauludi lunisolar calendar and a new land revenue system to make a significant growth in the Mysore silk industry.

As par the historians, Tipu absolutely hated the other religions. He forced millions of Hindus and Christians to convert into Islam. In fact, he killed all those people who refused to follow his order. He also destroyed several temples and churches in his land. But he patronized a few temples including the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangapatna.

Realizing the power of western science and technology, Tipu brought engineers, gun makers, clock makers and others from France to Mysore. Then, he established his own manufacturer of bronze cannons, muskets and ammunition.

He built a strong navy with 20 battleships of 72 cannons and 20 frigates of 62 cannons.

He used images of tiger golden throne, coins, textiles, swords and his soldier's uniforms. The idea behind this was to carry a sense of his immense strength and valor.

Tipu Sultan was the only Indian ruler at that time who realized the need of standing up against the British in India.

Tipu wrote all his dreams in the book named 'Khwabnama'. He also penned a military manual named Fathul Mujahidin describing the operation of Mysore rockets.

At that time, Tipu Sultan was considered as the greatest threat to the British rule in India. He fought vigorously and succeeded at keeping the British away from his land for a long time. But finally, in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, he got defeated and killed by the combined forces of the British East India Company, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

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