Both the Marathas and Tipu wanted to become the power center of the Deccan, so their conflict was for power and resources, not religion.
Tipu Sultan, Sultan of Mysore, was one of those rare rulers in Indian history who simultaneously fought the Maratha Confederacy, the Nizam and the British East India Company. In the second half of the 18th century, he was known as the Tiger of Mysore in the politics of South India. For some he is a freedom hero, for others he is a harsh ruler.
If, on the pretext of his birth anniversary, we look at his battles and the controversy over his date of birth, an interesting but complex history emerges.Let us try to understand when they came into conflict with the Marathas, Nizams and the British and what was the reason for it?
How did the Maratha-Mysore conflict begin?
The conflict between Mysore and Maratha power had started since the time of Tipu’s father Hyder Ali. Maratha Peshwa Madhavrao I defeated Hyder Ali in 1764 and 1767, but gradually Mysore also emerged as a military superpower. Tipu Sultan started being sent on campaigns against the Marathas since his adolescence. Tipu’s goal was clear. Breaking the tradition of Maratha recovery (Chaut-Sardeshmukhi) in the Deccan and maintaining Mysore’s control over the rich areas of Karnataka and Malabar.
In the Maratha-Mysore war (about 1785-1787), Tipu attacked areas like Nargund, Savanur, Adoni etc. The Maratha leadership considered this a direct attack on their sphere of influence. Ultimately an agreement was reached through the Treaty of Gajendragad in 1787, but mistrust persisted. Both the Marathas and Tipu wanted to become the dominant power in the Deccan, so the conflict was largely a battle of power and resources, not just religion.
Tipu Sultan did not accept the Nizam’s friendly attitude towards the British.
Relations with Nizam of Hyderabad
Nizam Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, kept changing alliances with the British and the Marathas from time to time. Sometimes he is seen with Hyder Ali and Tipu, and sometimes in their opposing camp. In Tipu’s view, the biggest mistake of the Nizam was that he was allowing the British East India Company to establish a foothold in the Deccan.
Tipu considered himself the protector of both Muslim power and local autonomy in the Deccan, hence the Nizam’s friendly attitude towards the British was not acceptable to him. The Nizam is clearly seen standing with the British in the Third and Fourth Anglo-Mysore Wars, which became a major reason for the end of Tipu.
Four wars with the British East India Company
The conflict with the British had its roots in the time of Hyder Ali, when Mysore sided with France amid Franco-British rivalry. Tipu carried forward the same policy and dreamed of uprooting the British from South India. Tipu participated as a young general in the First and Second Mysore Wars (especially the Second, 1780–1784) and played a decisive role in victories like Pollilur. In the Battle of Pallilur, Mysore’s rockets and the deadly siege caused heavy losses to the British army.
The immediate cause of the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789–1792) was Tipu’s attack on Travancore, which was an ally of the British. The British, Marathas and Nizam together attacked Tipu. The result was the Treaty of Sirangapatnam (1792), in which Tipu had to hand over half of his territory and two sons as hostages.
When the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799) took place, the alliance became stronger. The British, the Marathas and the Nizam all gathered against Tipu. Tipu Sultan was killed fighting on the fort wall in the final battle of Sirangapatnam on 4 May 1799. While fighting the British, Tipu also tried to get diplomatic-military cooperation from France, Türkiye and Afghanistan. He is also known for promoting rocket artillery, new currency system, land reforms and industries like silk, which are mentioned in many research texts and history books.
There is also controversy over the date of birth of Tipu Sultan.
Controversy over Tipu Sultan’s date of birth: 20 November or 1 December?
For a long time, in history books and popular articles, the date of birth of Tipu Sultan was considered as 20 November 1750. This date was taken from his biographer Mir Hussain Ali Khan Kirmani’s book Nishan-e-Haydari (Tarikh-e-Tipu Sultan), in which he mentioned Tipu’s birth according to the Hijri calendar. Accordingly, 20 Zilhijja 1163 Hijri falls on 20 November 1750 in the Gregorian calendar. But in recent decades, some researchers have questioned this date and put forward a new date based on the orders and documents of Tipu Sultan himself.
Kirmani’s book, written a few years after Tipu’s death and translated into English in the 19th century, long remained the main source. Reference books like Britannica also earlier gave Tipu’s date of birth as 20 November 1750. In recent research, historian and researcher Nidhin G. Olikara closely studied Persian manuscripts kept in the British Library and other archives. He particularly emphasized two three original sources.
The military guidelines (manual) prepared by Tipu for his army is Fatahul Mujahideen. A copy of it is preserved in the British Library. It lists the occasions when gun salutes were to be given. One of these entries is about Tipu’s birthday, in which it is written that on the 14th day of a particular month, a salute with a certain number of cannons should be given on the Sultan’s anniversary. The manual, obtained and translated by the British officer Colonel John Murry in 1792, contains the government rules of Tipu’s rule. In this also, the date of Sultan’s birthday is mentioned with his own seal as 14th day of month Tului/Zakiri, year 1165 Hijri.
A slip from the British Library, which was mentioned by William Kirkpatrick in his book, also mentions the same date. In these three independent documents, 14th Tului / Zakiri month, year 1165 Hijri is written. Tului or Zakiri are months of Tipu Sultan’s own Mauludi calendar, which he devised based on the Hindu calendar (a system of 12 months starting from Chaitra). With the help of astronomy software and calendar comparisons, Olikara showed that this date corresponds to December 1, 1751 in the Gregorian calendar.
A condensed, popular version of this research is available in Rewriting History: How I Discovered the True Birth Date of Tipu Sultan. At the same time, Britannica has also accepted Tipu’s date of birth as 1 December 1751 Devanahalli in its article till 2025.
Which date do historians consider?
Historians of the old school, especially those who depended more on Kirmani’s book, still sometimes write 20 November 1750. But on the basis of technical analysis of the documents issued during Tipu’s reign, his sealed rules and the Mauludi calendar, today many prominent researchers and historians of the new generation believe that the correct date of birth of Tipu Sultan should be considered as 1 December 1751, whereas 20 November 1750 is an old date, but based on indirect information.
Thus, Tipu Sultan’s entire life was spent amidst conflicts. The Maratha Confederacy, the Nizams, the local royal houses of Travancore, Malabar and above all the British East India Company. The root of these conflicts were mainly the politics of power, territorial dominance, revenue and empire expansion, which was further complicated by religious identity. Today, when we celebrate his birth anniversary or debate controversies, it is important that we take a balanced look at the available historical sources.
Pay attention to later works like Kirmani as well as those Persian documents which came under the seal and orders of Tipu himself. On the basis of these, contemporary research is now saying that Tipu Sultan was born on 1 December 1751 in Devanahalli, and he sacrificed his life fighting on the walls of Sirangapatnam on 4 May 1799.
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