Tipu Sultan was born on November 20, 1750 in Devanahalli (Yusufabad), Karnataka.
He was a king but wore light clothes. He did not like traveling in the palanquin. Horse riding was an art for him. He was a Muslim but also discussed with pundits. The British were afraid of him. He fought the last war like a normal soldier. The British were searching for him and he was martyred while fighting. When the British army recognized him, at first they thought he was still alive. When the officers confirmed that he was no more, their minds became calm because a big state like Mysore was now theirs.
We are talking about Tipu Sultan, who died for the country and who did not make any compromise with the British. Fought and fought a lot. He would not have been captured by the British while he was alive. Today i.e. 20th November is the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan. He was born in the year 1750 in Devanahalli (Yusufabad) in present-day Karnataka state.
Tipu Sultan’s full name was Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab. His father Hyder Ali was a soldier in the Mysore state but due to his wisdom and strength he became the King of Mysore in 1761. Meaning, Tipu Sultan was born in the family of a soldier and when he turned 11 years old, he was suddenly called the son of a king. Because of his height and physique, the British saw Napoleon in him and hence were afraid of him.
Tipu Sultan always remained a mystery to the British. Perhaps Indian historians have not written as many books focusing on him as the British have written. Every Indian should know the stories related to his life.
Despite having an army of 43 thousand, the British kept avoiding direct attack.
The British had taken more than half of the Mysore empire under their control. Even then, Tipu Sultan was getting more than one crore rupees as tax annually, whereas the British, despite killing and occupying all sides, were able to collect only nine crore rupees in revenue. Which was unacceptable to him. He was obsessed with capturing the whole of Mysore because Mysore was a princely state whose capture meant that it would become easier to rule South India.
On February 14, 1799, a contingent of about 43 thousand British soldiers marched towards Seringapatam and almost surrounded it. But they refrained from attacking directly. Meanwhile, the British had joined some soldiers of Tipu Sultan’s army on their side. In May, a cannon attack was launched on the Seringapatam fort and succeeded in damaging it.
The British hoisted the flag on the fort because of the traitor soldiers.
The British army was beginning to run out of food items. In such a situation, there was no option before him. The result was that on the instructions of British commander George Harris, five thousand soldiers hid in the trenches outside the fort. When the time of attack came near, Tipu Sultan’s traitor soldier Mir Sadiq called his soldiers to the rear on the pretext of salary. From the other side, some other traitor soldiers signaled the British through white handkerchiefs.
Seeing the opportunity, the British soldiers entered the fort. Meanwhile, Tipu’s loyal commander Ghaffar was killed in a cannon attack. Within no time, the British were the first to hoist their flag on the fort.
Donated to avert impending calamity
The real war started after this. British soldiers and officers also died. Tipu Sultan himself went into battle to encourage his soldiers. He neither wore his traditional turban nor wore any mark by which he could be identified. Knowing their soldiers, they jumped into the field without any worry and fought hard. Then it seemed everything became quiet. Disaster averted.
Tipu gave instructions to repair the damage done in the fort and then he gave donations to the Brahmins. Distribute money to the poor also. Donated black goat and black bull. Actually the astrologers had told him that today was not a good day. If they take all these measures then the coming disaster will be averted. After doing all this they went to rest.
While having dinner, he received information that one of his important commanders had been killed. He left the meal and immediately got up. He boarded the horse and set off. Whatever he saw was shocking. The British army had advanced far ahead.
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not life, chose the path of sacrifice
Now the fight had intensified. Tipu Sultan himself was fighting on foot, due to which the enthusiasm and morale of the soldiers kept increasing. But this did not happen. Apart from finding themselves weak, the morale of the army was also falling after seeing the death of their comrades. Then they also fought riding on horses. During this time he was also shot and the horse was also killed.
His bodyguard colleague Raja Khan suggested introducing him to the British but he refused. If they had done so, the British would have taken them prisoner. It is possible that life would have been saved but conscience would have been lost. Tipu chose the path of death. He continued fighting even in a state of near unconsciousness. Kept attacking the British. Then there was another attack on him and he became unconscious.
When the British reached the palace in search of Tipu Sultan
The British officers, seeing themselves successful to a large extent, now headed towards the palace in search of Tipu Sultan. But they were not found. Then one of Tipu’s own soldiers showed the British the place where the Sultan was lying on the ground. His palanquin was also there. He was wearing very modest clothes. Eyes were open. The body was hot. The British felt for a moment that they were alive. But, this news was false.
He had said goodbye to the world. The British sent Tipu’s body to the court in his palanquin. The next day, when his funeral procession took place, people were standing on both sides. Countless people were crying. At the time of the funeral there was such a storm that two British officers passed away. Many were injured. After that the British looted a lot.
Also read: When Milkha Singh was called an enemy in Pakistan and his last wish which was not forgotten till his death, read the stories.
