Tipu Sultan was born as Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu on November 20, 1750.
Tipu Sultan was the 18th-century Mysore ruler who is popularly known as the Tiger of Mysore and Tipu Sahib. The Karnataka government in 2015, led by former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, decided to celebrate Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary on November 20 as Tipu Jayanti - describing the ruler as one of the earliest freedom fighters. Tipu Jayanti celebrations, however, had given rise to fervent protests from the BJP leaders, who termed it as a form of minority appeasement. While the Congress and Janata Dal Secular contend that the Muslim ruler was a patriot who fought against the British, the BJP dubs him as a tyrant who had victimised his Hindu subjects. In recent development in the controversy, the Karnataka High Court earlier this month asked the BJP government in the state to reconsider its decision to scrap Tipu Jayanti.
Tipu Sultan Jayanti: Know about the life and works of Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan was born as Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu on November 20, 1750 in Devanahalli, present-day Bangalore.
Tipu Sultan was born to Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa and Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. Tipu Sultan succeeded his father in 1782.
His reign is remembered for many technological and administrative innovations. Among them was introduction of new coin denominations and new coin types. He also introduced a luni-solar calendar.
Tipu Sultan is also considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery. He expanded the use of rockets, deploying as many as 5,000 rocketeers at a time.
The rockets deployed by him during the Battle of Pollilur in 1780 and Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 were said to be more advanced than the British had previously seen.
Tipu Sultan introduced a land revenue system which gave a boost to the Mysore silk industry and helped in establishing Mysore as a major economic power.
Tipu Sultan had great love for horticulture and gardening. His father and him have been credited for establishing the 40-acre Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru.
Several architectural monuments like Srirangapatna's Daria Daulat Bagh Jama Masjid and Gumbaz have also been built by the Tipu Sultan.
He fought several wars against the Marathas and the British and came out victorious. In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between 1798-99, however, he was defeated when the forces of the British East India Company, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad came together.
Tipu Sultan was killed on May 4, 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna, present-day Mandya in Karnataka.
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