Tipu Sultan was not a Religious Bigot

Tipu Sultan was not a Religious Bigot

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Colonial historians have projected Tipu as a “religious bigot”, who was instrumental in killing and converting to Islam thousands of Nayars of Kerala, Catholics of Dakshina Kannada and Coorgis of Kodagu. Even Kannada chauvinists have projected him as anti-Kannadiga as he was instrumental in changing the local names of places and introducing Persian vocabulary into administration. Marxist historians, on the other hand, have viewed him as “one of the foremost commanders of independence struggle” and a “harbinger of new productive forces”.
The demonisation of Tipu Sultan dates back to the works of two contemporary chroniclers of the history of Mysore - Colonel Mark Wilks and Lt-Colonel William Kirkpatrick - who were themselves engaged in the eventual defeat of the Tiger of Mysore by Richard Wellesley, the first Earl of Mornington, in the Fourth Anglo Mysore War in 1799. Tipu had got the East India Company's goat by aligning with the French and not following in the footsteps of the subservient Nizam of Hyderabad, who got rid of his French troops as soon as Lord Mornington ordered him to do so.

The line sold by the imperialist historians found a ready buyer in Rao Bahadur Conjeevaram Hayavadana Rao, who, to please his employers, the Wodeyars, re-wrote the original Mysore Gazetteer, which had recorded Tipu's many acts of generosity towards temples, and made the Tiger of Mysore out to be an anti-Hindu monster. Tipu, and before him, his father Haider Ali, who had ousted his employer, Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, to become the ruler of Mysore, not only expanded the state's territorial boundaries, but also fought four wars against the East India Company. Naturally, they were not very popular with imperialist historians.
As recounted in the well-researched blog dedicated to the monarch (The Seringapatam Times), Tipu was then embroiled in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, yet he found the time to order the release of gold and paddy for the re-consecration of the temple and the repair of the idol, and he made a personal gift of a gold sari and blouse for Sri Sarada Amba. In the letter to the Jagatguru recording these remedial actions (this was among the 30 missives exchanged between the two, which were discovered in 1916), Tipu revealed his progressive side by noting: "Those who have committed such atrocities will suffer the consequences as stated in a particular shloka: ‘People do evil smiling but will suffer the penalty in torments of agony (hasadhvi kriyathe karma raudhrir anubhuyathe)’. Treachery to gurus will lead to all-round ruin, destruction of all wealth and the ruin of the family."

It was Tipu who, in 1785, freed Shringeri from the obligation to pay taxes and gave the Math complete control over the land and villages it owned. And the Math was not alone as a recipient of Tipu's munificence. The Mysore Gazettes have listed 156 temples that received annual grants, including land and jewellery, from Tipu. During his reign (1782 to 1799), Tipu also issued 34 sanads (deeds of endowment) to temples in his domain.

It's not without a good reason that till this day, priests at the Sri Mookambika Temple at Kollur in the foothills of the Western Ghats perform a "salaam mangalarathi" at 7:30 every evening in honour of Tipu, who's said to have visited it and present a ceremonial bell to the neighbouring Shankaranaryan temple. At the famous Srikanteswara Temple in Nanjangud, a Shaivite pilgrim centre, the emerald lingapresented by Tipu continues to be worshipped. To the Vaishnava Lakshmikanta Temple at Kalale, Tipu donation four cups, a plate and a spittoon, all made in silver. Nearer home, he donated seven silver cups and a silver camphor burner to the Ranganatha temple at Srirangapatna, which was within shouting distance from his palace.

The fact is that Tipu cannot be reduced to a singular narrative or tradition of intolerance or bigotry as he represented multiple traditions. He combined tolerant inter-religious traditions, liberal and secular traditions, anti-colonialism and internationalism. He could do this as he had strong roots in Sufism, which is not explored much by historians. He belonged to the Chisti/Bande Nawaz tradition of Sufism.

In fact, Tipu was radical in more than one sense. He was the first to ban consumption of alcohol in the entire State, not on religious grounds, but on moral and health grounds. He went to the extent of saying: “A total prohibition is very near to my heart.” He is credited with introducing missile or rocket technology in war. He was the first to introduce sericulture to the then Mysore state. He was the first to confiscate the property of upper castes, including Mutts, and distribute it among the Shudras. He is also credited with sowing the seeds of capitalist development at a time when the country was completely feudal. He thought about constructing a dam across the Cauvery in the present-day location of Krishnaraja Sagar. He completed the task of establishing a biodiversity garden named Lal Bagh.

His tolerance is reflected in his annual grants to no less than 156 temples, which included land deeds and jewellery. His army was largely composed of Shudras. When the famed Sringeri Mutt, established by Shankaracharya, was invaded by the Maratha army, he issued a firman to provide financial assistance for reinstallation of the holy idol and restoring the tradition of worship at the Mutt. His donation to the famous Srikanteshwara temple at Nanjangud; the donation of 10,000 gold coins to complete temple work at Kanchi; settling the disputes between two sects of priests at the Melkote temple; and gifts to Lakshmikanta temple at Kalale are all well-known. Interestingly, Srirangapatna, a temple town, remained his permanent capital till the end of his rule. He was also instrumental in constructing the first-ever church in Mysuru. Incidentally, well-known historian B.A. Saletore calls him “defender of Hindu Dharma”.

The allegation of forcible conversions has to be seen in the background of political exigencies — either they were with the colonialists such as in the case of Christians of Dakshina Kannada, or were waging a protracted guerrilla war as in the case of Coorg.

A ruler, who once identified himself with the American and French Revolution and Jacobinism, has remained an enigma to many.
Source: Habib, Irfan (2002), p118, Confronting Colonialism: Resistance and Modernization Under Haidar Ali & Tipu Sultan, Anthem Press, London;