Who was Tipu Sultan ?

During his reign, one of the major goals of Tipu Sultan was to destroy ruin Hindu temples in Malabar, and let Islam establish and thrive. Historians like Lewis B. Boury have described Tipu’s violence against Hindus in and around Malabar as way more ferocious than atrocities committed by Mahmud of Ghazni, Nadir Shah and Alauddin Khalji against Hindus in Hindustan. William Logan has mentioned in the “Malabar Manual” that Thalipparampu and Thrichambaram temples of Chirackal Taluqa, Ponmeri Temple of Badakara, and Thiruvangatu of Tellicherry were among the major temples smashed by Tipu Sultan.

Since all such actions committed by Tipu Sultan were inspired by his hatred and difference for Hindus and Hinduism, he forced only his antagonists to accept Islam. The worse, countless women and children were included among his victims.

Tipu remained an implacable enemy of the British East India Company, sparking conflict with his attack on British-allied Travancore in 1789.

Tipu Sultan's parents were Hyder Ali and his wife Fatima Fakhr Un Nisa. His earlier name was Fath Ali but often called him Tipu after the local saint Tipu Mastan Aulia. Tipu Sultan's full name was Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab.

In the Third Anglo-Mysore War, he was forced into the Treaty of Seringapatam, losing a number of previously conquered territories, including Malabar and Mangalore.

Tipu was commonly tagged as the Tiger of Mysore and he used it as the emblem of his rule.

He learned many aspects of the warfare when he was young - horse riding, shooting, swordsmanship, etc when he was just 15.

He sent emissaries to foreign states, including the Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan, and France, in an attempt to rally opposition to the British.

Tipu was a man of valor and wisdom. When, on a hunting trip with a French man in a dense forest, a chance encounter with a big tiger forced him to use his dagger to finish the ferocious animal as his gun failed to work. This heroic exploit earned him the name "the Tiger of Mysore".

Haider Ali and Tipu were the first ones who used long distance traveling missiles with a strong heat-resistant iron tube and sharp sword, etc. They also had rocket launch pads built in their fort at Srirangapatnam. His technology was copied by the French and later by the British. The Mysorian rockets which used to launch swords were better than those used in France.

In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the imperial forces of the British East India Company were supported by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Marathas.

Tipu Sultan's Mysorean rockets were used as main models for the new version of Congreve Rockets designed by Sir William Congreve in 1804.

They defeated Tipu, and he was killed on 4 May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna.

After the death of Tipu Sultan (1799; he was shot dead), in the final Anglo-Mysore war (1798–1799) under the command of Lord Lord Wellesley, the British forces took away the sword and ring of Tipu Sultan as war trophies. Lord Wellesley himself had the gold ring removed from the slain-body soon after his death. The gold ring had the Hindu God's name Ram engraved in Devanagari script. On May 24, 2014  Somerset's great grand son Baron Raglan (descendant of Lord Wellesley) put it up for auction and the well attended auction fetched 140,500 pounds for that gold ring (41.2 gm) worn by Tipu at the time of his death on the Srirangapatnam battle ground.

He was one of the few South Indian kings to provide stiff resistance to British imperialism, along with his father Hyder Ali. He is applauded as a ruler who fought against British colonialism

Tipu's world famous sword carrying the emblem of Tiger on the handle was made of special Steel called Woltz, using high carbon special alloy with amazing sharp edge.

Tipu Sultan's ambition was to become  a Padishah after defeating the British and  his Brahmin astrologers told him this would happen only upon certain rituals.rule India.

Tipu has been a controversial figure and criticized for his repression of Hindus and Christians

Among the Indian rulers, Tipu had a powerful navy, consisting of 20 battleships of 72 cannons and 20 frigates of 62 powerful cannons. Mangalore was used as a port. He had his war ship made with brass bottom for long life.

It is believed that Tipu Sultan replaced names of some places with Muslim names. examples: Mangalore was changed to Jalalabad, Mysore to Nazarabad, Cannanore to Kusanabad, Dharwar to Quarshed-Sawad, Dindigul to Khaliqabad, Kozhikode to Islamabad, etc. Names of all these places were reverted to old names only after Tipu Sultan's death.

According to an official report by Colonel Fullarton, then in-charge of British forces in Mangalore, Tipu Sultan during his acquisition of Palghat Fort in the year 1783 killed the Hindus, especially Brahmins. (authenticity required).

Tipu had to retreat during  the Battle of the Nedumkotta (1789) against the Nairs of Travancore as the British forces were behind the Travancore army.

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

There is a story going around about his romantic escapade with one  legendary woman warrior Unniyarcha whom he captured in a war and later  married in May, 1790 under force. (authenticity required).

Various sources describe the massacres, imprisonment, forced conversion, and circumcision of Hindus (Kodavas of Coorg and Nairs of Malabar) and Christians (Catholics of Mangalore) and the destruction of churches and temples which are cited as evidence for his religious intolerance.