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| Original portrait of Tipu |
The final assault on the fort was fixed for May 4th, 1799. On that day, according to the British plan, Mir Sadiq would distribute salaries to the army when General Harris will attack in the middle of the day, when the sun was high. At 11.00 a.m. on 4th May, the British troops were briefed by its Lieutenants. A dram of whisky and biscuit were issued to the European troops as power of motivation. Mir Sadiq wholeheartedly sent the army to collect wages at the height of the approaching battle thus giving the British a chance to enter through the hole made by bombardment of the wall.
Tipu’s soldiers left their posts and hurried to receive their pays. At that moment, the British troops in connivance with the treacherous elements in the fort, crossed the river Cauveri and entered the fort. The Sultan was taking his noon meals when he knew of this disaster. He hurried to the spot to fight the battle and fell a martyr. Sadly, there ended the life of an eminent sultan, loving father, caring employer, intelligent inventor, efficient administrator and a secularist Muslim.
The ingenious country rockets seized from him were later studied in-depth and introduced in Britain with a new name. This appears to be the first ever reported theft of Geographical Brand identity and Intellectual Property Rights. Indeed he remains a role model administrator to the present day employers. *Published in BUSINESS MANAGER, Feb 2010
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My favourite heroes are Raja Raja Chola (8th century) and Tipu Sultan (18th century)
Within 15 minutes, the troops had crossed the river cauvery and had scaled the ramparts. Being summer, the river was scanty and the british troops had silently crossed.
I visualised all the scenes when I visited his family mosque, summer palace, Gumbaz, and his fort. There is no palace except for few pillars lying on ground. |
| I zoomed for a closeup shot |
The Sultan was taking his meals and when informed of this disaster, he hurried to the spot and gallantly fighting a hand to hand battle fell a martyr to the cause of national freedom.
Mir Sadiq sent the army to collect wages at the height of the battle thus giving the British a chance to enter through the hole made through bombardment of the wall. At last, Mir was killed by the British after the job was accomplished.
Today Tipu's palace is fenced and few granite pillars are lying across the place where it stood once. On the main road from the fort gate to temple, the place where he fell dead is seen in picture. A compund wall has been erected by ASI and tourists can easily miss the spot while driving.
Tipu had written letters to Napolean Bonaparte requesting him to send his troops and help him. Had he been alive, he would have joined hands with him to drive the british. Tipu had died around a time when his french emissaries reached the town.
The british have not seen Tipu or know how he will be. On the fateful day, the lieutenants have recorded that a short man in dark was ferociously fighting near the gate and killed many british soldiers. Tipu wore a golden buckle belt and a sacred talisman. A sepoy who wanted to snatch it from him had shot him below his knee. He attempted to pull it and when Tipu resisted, the soldier shot him point blank through his head without knowing that it was Tipu. Thus ended the heroic life of a warrior and his body fell at the eastern Water Gate.
The British later built a Banquet Hall in Madras to commemorate the defeat of Tipu. This was renamed as the Rajaji Hall. It is in the new Secretariat complex (Government Estate), Chennai, where government functions and film shooting for court scenes were allowed by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). Today the view of the hall is totally hidden. The hand railings with artistic designs were taken from his Srirangapatnam palace and relocated to a place where it is now decorating the backyard garden of St. Mary's Church near Gemini Flyover, next to US Consulate.
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| The British examing the body (Art work) |
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| The Banquet Hall (now Rajaji Hall) |
A fierce battle was fought and historians recorded that nearly 26,000 soldiers were in the British troop of which 4000 were europeans and remaining indians. It was Sir David Baird who went to the field to search for Tipu along with his bodygaurds. Later in the evening, his body was found with gunshot wounds on head and his jewels stolen. See the painting done by a british artist who was one of the few artists called by Baird to draw the actual scene. The next day, law and order was restored in Srirangapatnam and Tipu was buried at Gol Gumbaz with state honours by the British.
The treasure antiques looted is in HerMajesty's Royal Museum, London. The British then took direct control of Mysore, Woedyar family was restored to rule. Tipu's sincere Diwan Poornaiya was transferred to work under the new dynasty. Even today, the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple and his Jumma Masjid stand mute witness to his rise and downfall. I was moved when I visualised the scenes and bloodshed that had happened 210 years ago at the spot where I stood.
The treasure antiques looted is in HerMajesty's Royal Museum, London. The British then took direct control of Mysore, Woedyar family was restored to rule. Tipu's sincere Diwan Poornaiya was transferred to work under the new dynasty. Even today, the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple and his Jumma Masjid stand mute witness to his rise and downfall. I was moved when I visualised the scenes and bloodshed that had happened 210 years ago at the spot where I stood.
