Tipu Sultan: The Real Story Behind the Sword of Mysore

By Fazlullah for RAHAMATABAD.COM
Date: 16 April 2025

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Introduction

Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, remains one of the most polarizing figures in Indian history. Portrayed by some as a secular freedom fighter and by others as a religious bigot, the truth about Tipu Sultan lies somewhere in between. This fact-checked article investigates Tipu’s actual legacy based on primary documents, eyewitness accounts, temple records, colonial narratives, and regional literature.

Tipu’s Religious Policies: Letters as Primary Evidence

Tipu Sultan’s official correspondence provides direct insight into his motivations:

Tipu’s letter to Abdul Khadir dated March 22, 1788, records his pride in forcibly converting 12,000 Hindus, including many Namboodiri Brahmins. He encouraged his commanders to celebrate this “victory” and continue spreading Islam.

In another letter during his Travancore campaign in 1790, he declared his intention to convert at least 200,000 Hindus once he achieved military success.

These letters are available in Select Letters of Tipu Sultan, compiled from Persian records and British translations during colonial rule. Their content reflects Tipu’s religious zeal and mission to spread Islam in conquered territories.

Temple Grants and Tolerance: The Other Side

Despite aggressive campaigns in Kerala, Tipu extended patronage to certain Hindu institutions in Karnataka. He made generous donations to the Melkote Narayanaswamy Temple and supported Sringeri Sharada Peetham after it was attacked by the Marathas.

Records from the Sringeri Mutt archive contain letters from Tipu expressing grief over the attack and offering financial and logistical assistance to restore the shrine.

These gestures suggest a pragmatic approach toward influential temples within his own kingdom, distinguishing between political strategy and personal belief.

Religious Persecution in Kerala

Reports from Kerala highlight a starkly different side of Tipu. His invasion of Malabar led to forced conversions, temple destructions, and the displacement of thousands.

Syrian Christian communities were uprooted; many were transported to Srirangapatna. Nair Hindus were subjected to violence and mass conversions. Churches and Hindu shrines were destroyed during his campaign.

Missionary accounts and British officer Thomas Munro’s letters validate these atrocities. Even local Malayalam ballads lament the destruction brought by Tipu’s forces.

Was Tipu a Freedom Fighter?

Tipu Sultan remains one of the fiercest Indian rulers to challenge British expansion. He rejected British treaties, built alliances with France, Turkey, and Afghanistan, and adopted European-style military strategies.

His pioneering use of iron-cased rockets during battles gave his army a technological edge and later influenced British military developments.

Tipu died fighting British troops during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, defending his capital Srirangapatna to the end. This alone places him firmly in the league of anti-colonial leaders.

Analysis of British Accounts

British officers and historians often vilified Tipu to justify colonial conquest. Mark Wilks and James Kirkpatrick portrayed him as a fanatic tyrant. While these accounts contain factual details, they must be read alongside neutral or regional sources.

Despite their bias, these documents confirm many aspects of Tipu’s campaigns and religious policies that align with his own letters and Indian sources.

Conclusion

Tipu Sultan was neither a purely secular hero nor an Islamic tyrant. He was a complex figure — a devout Muslim, a brilliant military strategist, a ruthless conqueror, and a national resistance icon. Any attempt to whitewash or demonize him ignores the historical evidence.

He supported temples in regions under his control, likely out of political prudence, but exhibited severe intolerance during his Kerala campaign. He modernized the army, fought colonial rule, and dreamed of an Islamic resurgence under his leadership.

His story should be told not through political propaganda but through historical fact and balanced scholarship.