Amidst the Tipu Sultan row and the attempts to expel him from the pages of history, his works towards India can't go unnoticed. The ruler was born in 1751 and was referred as 'Tiger of Mysore' even after he breathed his last on May 4, 1799.
On his death anniversary, here are some facts about the controversial leader.
Tipu Sultan was born as Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu on 1750 in Devanahalli, present-day Bengaluru. He was born to Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore.
He ascended to the throne of Mysore after his father’s death in the Second Mysore War in 1782.
Tipu ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799 and was popularly known as Tipu Sahib and Tiger of Mysore.
In 1766, he accompanied his father in the First Mysore War against the British.
He is known for many technological and administrative innovations. He introduced new coin types and denominations.
He is admired as a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery. The rockets used during the Battle of Pollilur (1780) and Siege of Seringapatam (1799) are said to be advanced that the British had ever seen.
He introduced a land revenue system which initiated the boost of the Mysore silk industry.
In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War fought between 1798-99, he defeated the joint forces of the British East India Company, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Tipu Sultan died on May 4, 1799, while defending his capital Srirangapatna, present-day Mandya, Karnataka.
