Tipu Sultan

November 24, 2022

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The birth anniversary of Tippu Sultan was observed recently, bringing his contested legacy to the forefront of political discourse once again.

About Tipu Sultan

He was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore.
In the wider national narrative, Tipu has so far been seen as a man of imagination and courage, a brilliant military strategist who, in a short reign of 17 years, mounted the most serious challenge the Company faced in India.

Contribution of Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan is the fearless ‘Tiger of Mysore’, a powerful bulwark against colonialism, and a great son of Karnataka.
Tipu was the son of Haider Ali, a soldier who climbed the ranks in the army of the Wodeyar king of Mysore, and ultimately took power in 1761.
Haider died while the 2nd Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84) was on and Tipu succeeded him in 1782.
In the wider national narrative, Tipu has been seen as a man of imagination and a brilliant military strategist.
In his short reign of 17 years, he mounted the most serious challenge the EIC faced in India.
He was killed defending his capital Srirangapatnam in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
He made regular endowments during this period to many Hindu temples, including the famed Ranganathaswami Temple at Srirangapatna.
Many sources mention the appointment of Hindu officers in Tipu’s administration] and his land grants and endowments to Hindu temples, which are cited as evidence for his religious tolerance.
Among the punishments Tipu applied to rebels or conspirators were forced conversion and the transfer of people from their home territories to Mysore.

Reforms by Tipu Sultan

Tipu reorganised his army along European lines, using new technology, including what is considered the first war rocket.
He devised a land revenue system based on detailed surveys and classification, in which the tax was imposed directly on the peasant.
He collected this tax through salaried agents in cash, widening the state’s resource base.
He modernised agriculture, gave tax breaks for developing wasteland, built irrigation infrastructure and repaired old dams, and promoted agricultural manufacturing and sericulture.
He built a navy to support trade, and commissioned a state commercial corporation to set up factories.
As Mysore traded in sandalwood, silk, spices, rice and sulphur, some 30 trading outposts were established across Tipu’s dominions and overseas.

Question: Discuss the reforms and contributions of Tipu Sultan to modernise his kingdom?