The Coorgs have good reason to dislike Tipu Sultan. According to Tipu’s own records, his conquests had a direct impact on Coorg.
According to the Coorgs, Tipu offered peace to them and invited them for peace talks. Believing his word, the Coorgs arrived without their arms. It was a trap. They were ambushed by Tipu’s troops, who were supported by the French. Hundreds were killed and others were rounded up, and taken away to Srirangapatna to be converted. The evidence of this is provided by Tipu’s own biographer and courtier, Mir Hussein Kirmani who wrote about Tipu’s exploits in Coorg in The History of Tipu Sultan, "The conquering Sultan dispatched his Amirs and Khans with large bodies of troops to punish those idolaters and reduce the whole country (Coorg) to subjection. They attacked and destroyed many towns. Eight thousand men, women, and children were taken prisoners. They were kept together like a flock of sheep or herd of bullocks."
In a letter to the Nawab of Kurnool, Tipu himself confirms this. He wrote that he took 40,000 Coorgs prisoners, forcibly converted them to Islam and incorporated them into his Ahmadi corps. Many of the descendants of Coorgs converted by Tipu still retain their original Coorg family names. Tipu also destroyed temples in Coorg. To protect the Omkareshwara temple in Madikeri, the citizens demolished its towers and replaced them with domes. The temple retains the domes even today. According to the Coorgs, the Karnataka government’s celebration of Tipu Sultan Jayanthi is akin to ignoring history.
(M.A. Deviah is a senior journalist)
