10 lesser known facts about Tipu Sultan

By Poonam Verma

Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore is known for his heroic acts in the wars and the sacrifices he made to save his land from foreign invaders. He saved Deccan India from the British for a long period but not all the South Indians loved this martyr.

Here are ten interesting facts about the great Indian ruler:

The barbaric acts of the Tiger

Tipu Sultan forced more than 10 million Hindus and Christians in Malabar region to convert to Islam. These people were imprisoned and made to eat beef. Those who refused to convert to Islam were hanged to death. Hindus and Christians were forced to marry Muslim women. The Tiger ordered to burn down and destroy the temples and churches in his kingdom.

The father of rockets

The first rocket invented by the French was based on the technology devised by Tipu Sultan and his father, Haider Ali. The rockets which used to launch swords were better than those used in France.

Mysore navy

He played a major role in building a navy in Mysore consisting of 20 battleships of 72 cannons and 20 frigates of 62 cannons.

"Ram" ring, his trophy

Tipu Sultan owned a ring given to him as a war trophy. The irony is that the ring reads "Ram" and Sultan hated Hindu religion.

A great scholar and soldier

Tipu Sultan was a great soldier and saved the South India from British invasions for a long time. He learnt military strategies from the French.

Tippoo Sahib

He saved Deccan India from British attacks for a long time and was addressed as Tippoo sahib by them.

Farsi ruled his kingdom

Before Tipu overtook the thrown of Mysore, official works were done on Kannada and Marathi language. But after he sat on the thrown, Farsi was introduced as the new official language of Mysore state.

Love for gardening

Tipu had a great inclination toward gardening. He used to ask foreign dignitaries for several varieties of seeds and plants. He is known for creating the Lal-Bagh botanical garden in Bangalore

A self-admirer

Tipu Sultan's letters reflect his enthusiasm. Nowhere, those letters showed that he was guilty of his barbaric acts. In fact, he was proud of converting Hindus and Christians to Islam.

They loved to hate him

People in Malabar, Mangalore and Coorg loved to hate him to such an extent that they joined hands with the British for his doom. This helped the British in winning the fourth Anglo Mysore War. He lost his sons in the third war and his own life in the fourth one.