Tipu Sultan was born in 1750 to Hyder Ali and Fatima Fakhr Un Nisa. His birth name was Fath Ali but he was often called Tipu, after the local saint Tipu Mastan Aulia. He was known as the ‘Tiger of Mysore’ for his fame in the victory in the battles of the late 18th century in southern India.

Tipu was equipped with the skill of shooting, riding, and swordsmanship at a very young age. When he was 15 he made use of these skills to capture the family of the Malabar chief with a military force of two to three thousand soldiers. He was also fond of horticulture and gardening. 

Also known as the pioneer of Rocket Technology in India, Tipu Sultan wrote a military manual called ‘Fathul Mujahidin’ which explained the operation of the Mysore rockets.

Tipu’s father, Hyder Ali, was the Muslim ruler of Mysore. Tipu was instructed in military tactics by the French officials in his father’s army. He commanded the cavalry against the Marathas in the Carnatic region of western India in 1767, and also on various other occasions between 1775 and 1779.

He defeated Colonel John Brathwaite during the second Mysore War on the banks of Kollidam River. In December 1782 he succeeded his father to become the new ruler of Mysore. In 1784 he called a truce with the British and assumed the title of the Sultan of Mysore. 

The administrative transactions during his time were done in Persian, Kannada, and Marathi. All his ministers were Brahmins. His contributions to the State with generous endowments to the temples and monastic orders are well noted. For example, in spite of being a Muslim, there was a 10-day grand celebration of Dussehra, he had a ring with “Ram” engraved on it (which was later taken away by the British, along with his sword). The complex style of his rule made it difficult to attribute him as a religious fanatic. It was the British who cast him as a Muslim fanatic who broke Hindu temples and converted the local Hindus and Christians into Muslims.

  Indian soldier of Tipu Sultan's army, using his rocket as a Flagstaff

Tipu Sultan was responsible for a change from original to Muslim names of a lot of places under his rule. Mangalore became Jalalabad, Mysore became Nazarabad, Kozhikode to Islamabad, Ratnagiri to Mustafabad and so on.

In 1789, Tipu Sultan attacked the Raja of Travancore, an ally of the British. He lost his sword in this war with the Nairs of Travancore during the Battle of Nedumkotta. He had to forcefully withdraw due to a joint attack from the Travancore and British army.

By 1792, he unwisely allowed his negotiations with France to become publicly known to the British. Due to the Treaty of Seringapatam (now Shrirangapattana), he had to cede half of his dominions. The British launched an attack, the fourth Mysore War, on Tipu’s capital in Seringapatam in 1799. He had to defend his fort against the combined forces of the British East India Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad. On May 4, 1799, he breathed his last when leading his troops in the breach.

His belongings were put on display in the British Museum till 2004, especially his ring and sword which the British kept as tokens of their victory against him. Later, Vijay Mallaya bought Tipu Sultan’s sword in an auction. With much debate and discussion, mostly regarding the loyalty of religion, Karnataka government has decided to celebrate Tipu (Sultan) Jayanti on 10 November across their state.