Bengaluru: Tipu Sultan is a name that is intertwined with the history of Karnataka. To many, his legacy is a symbol of the fight against British tyranny. Others remember him as a mass murderer, ethnic cleanser and a ruler who forced people to convert to Islam.
Tipu has largely been a controversial figure in post-independence India. He was a ruler who massacred members of the Kodava community. He was also responsible for the dark and infamous period known as ‘Captivity of Kodavas at Seringapatam’, right after he had managed to subdue the Kodava rebellion in the 1780s.
Tipu proved to be equally anti-Christian in his belief as history shows us that he imprisoned Mangalorean Catholics at Srirangapatna (Seringapatam). Tipu took nearly 60,000 prisoners of which only 7000 were able to escape captivity. Nearly 30,000 Christians were forcibly converted and their women and young girls were forced to become wives of Muslims living in the vicinity.
But this was also the same king that reinstalled the pontiff of Sharada Peetha in Sringeri, after the temple had been ransacked by an invading Maratha Army. Evidence of correspondence between the pontiff and Tipu was discovered by the Director of Archaeology in Mysuru in 1916, all of nearly 30 letters written in Kannada.
A portrait of Tipu Sultan
Tipu is said to have expressed his shock and grief and wrote to the pontiff saying, “People who have sinned against such a holy place are sure to suffer the consequences of their misdeeds at no distant date in this Kali age in accordance with the verse: ‘Hasadbhih kriyate karma rudadbhir-anubhuyate’ (People do [evil] deeds smilingly but suffer the consequences crying).”
Even British historians acknowledge that Tipu gave away jewels, gifts and many other valuable possessions to temples. It is a well documented fact that Tipu gave away grants to nearly 156 temples. He also gave an endowment to Nanjundeshwara temple in Nanjangud.
A PIL filed by a native of Kodagu district against the celebration of Tipu Jayanti came up for hearing in the High Court on Thursday. The petitioner was asked to present his case before the Chief Secretary of the state, who is expected to arrive at a decision on November 8.
Mangaluru based social activist Vidya Dinker says, “It is a very tough call. First of all I believe any government at the state or central level must be non-religious.”
Mrs Dinker added that the state must concentrate on more important tasks at hand rather than waste time and money on celebrating Jayantis or birthdays of important people. “The state has much more important tasks at hand such as achieving social justice, healthcare, schooling etc. Taxpayers money should not be wasted on such events.”
Mrs Dinker added that the state should back off from organizing Tipu Jayanti as it could give fundamentalists fuel to raise communal tensions.
Mrs Gauri Lankesh of Lankesh Patrike condemned the government’s move. “First of all I would like to say that a secular government should have no part in organizing or celebrating any famous person’s birthday. But, considering the fact that the centre celebrates Gandhi Jayanti, Tipu Jayanti should also be celebrated.”
She added, “Tipu Sultan after all was a freedom fighter. He fought the fascist British forces at a time when there was no concept of a united India. Who wrote the history we learn today? The British historians wrote it, didn’t they? They were enemies of Tipu. It is not just the people of Karnataka who should look up to Tipu as a hero, but the whole of India too!”
