Sankaranarayanan Paleeri
Liaison with Foreign
Powers and Religious Policies: A Critical Discussion on Tippu Sultan’s
Strategies and Rule
Tippu Sultan is one of the most conversed rulers of Medieval South India. He has received great attention by historians than any of the contemporary or pre or past rulers. To make it wonder, the historiographical remarks on Tippu Sultan have varied entities. Evidences and believes are even contradictory. Many believe that he was a metamorphosis from a pious Muslim youngster who wished to be a Soofi (Muslim Monk) and singer to an Iron ruler. Some others consider him as very bright and mighty ruler from the beginning of child hood life itself.
All these contradictions of
beliefs and evidences are visible in his religious policies and attitude also.
Many historians nomenclature him a very perfect secular ruler and some others
consider vice versa. Another part of historians consider the Sultan a practical
ruler with mighty steps in the case of religion. Any way all are considering
Tippu as a strong supporter of Islamic ideology and Muslim life.
The pious Muslim need not be a fanatic or
fundamentalist. But differences of opinions are there in this aspect. Whether
Tippu a secular or religious fanatic or fundamentalist is remain as a question
to answer critically. The text books of Kerala, both at school and college
level brighten Tippu a secular ruler and King against foreign rule in South
India. The text books gave him the role of a “freedom fighter”, who fought a
lot against British.
This paper tries to discuss
the facts or truths of Tippu’s attempts against foreign rulers and his benchmarks
in Kerala (Malabar). The paper zeroed in on the religious markers of Tippu in
Malabar. It is his religious policies during his reign are discussed.
A Brief Note
of Tippu’s Rule
Tippu Sultan had, ruled his
kingdom only for sixteen-and-a-half years, from December 7, 1782 to May 4,
1799. The territory of Malabar was under his effective control only for a short
period of eight years. It is not the duration, but the varied stabs make the reign
different. Tippu had strong ambition of making a complete kingdom, a Sultanate,
in South India.
He had convinced himself that
he could easily become the Emperor of South India if he could somehow vanquish
the British. This ambition made him against British rule, not because they were
foreign rulers. He had no reluctance to be in strong alliance with foreign
nations. He was very much alliance with France. He tried to contact with Iran,
Turkey, Afghnaistan and etc. Because of his intense and-British attitude, the
so-called progressive historians have made a vain attempt to paint Tippu Sultan
as a great national hero. Actually he was not against the foreign rule; he was
only against British, because he considered the British power an obstacle in
widening the kingdom.
How is it possible to state Tippu Sultan to be an enemy of
foreign forces when he himself had sought help from Napoleon who was then a
prisoner in St. Helena Island and also the French King, Louis XVI?
Generalization
The attempts of painting Tippu an anti foreign ruler and
keeping him in the limelight of national ruler role is nothing but shut the
door towards facts. He was a great ruler, fought against British. He was a
powerful King of the time and a very mighty warrior. He allied with France. And
he was nothing but a tactful leader aimed thrashing of British power to
establish his own kingdom. These all are the reality. Other evaluations are not
tangible. He would have supported British if they could scaffold him in his
aims.
Religious Policies in
Rule
Was Tippu a secular ruler like Akbar the Great? Answer to the
question will be controversial. Tippu is being considered by many historians as
a great secular ruler and a splendid supporter of Hindu temples. But, evidence
for this statement is scarce. Tippu believed in astrology. He consulted with
astrologers of Ranganthananda temple, Sreerangapattana before his every
administrative or war attempts. He gifted the astrologers with lots of money.
It is just because of his admiration on astrologers and not because of positive
mindedness towards Hindu customs and temples. Believing, according to the
predictions of astrologers, that he could become the undisputed ruler of the
whole of South India, after defeating the British, he performed all the
suggested rituals in the Sree Ranaganatha Swami Temple, besides giving costly
presents to the astrologers. These are
taken in to account by many of the historians that he was fond of with Hindu
priests. This was nothing but a personal awarding for his satisfactions,
never a symbol of attitude towards Non- Islamic religions.
Evidences are not
available than some sort of oral stories for Tippu’s contributions to temples. At
the same time there have evidence for his cruelties against temples and Hindu
habitat along with temples.
-
The reputed historian, Lewis Rice, who wrote the History of Mysore after going through various official
records, stated thus: “In the vast empire of Tippu Sultan on the eve of his
death, there were only two Hindu temples having daily pujas within the
Sreerangapatanam fortress. It is only for the satisfaction of the Brahmin
astrologers who used to study his horoscope that Tippu Sultan had spared those
two temples. The entire wealth of every Hindu temple was confiscated before
1790 itself mainly to make up for the revenue loss due to total prohibition in
the country.”
Tippu cooperated with Muslim rulers of his time like Karnool
Sultan, Bijapur Sultan and Nizam of Hyderabad. Tippu beseeched assistance of
Muslim countries like Persia, Afghanistan and Turkey. He did not consider the Hindu rulers of
Maharashtra, Coorg and Travancore.
There have no evidence for his cooperation with any one of
the Hindu rulers of his time. At the same time, Tippu made regular contacts
with Muslim rulers through personal visits, Messengers and letters. His letters
explain that he wanted to establish Islamic rule in the kingdom.
There had two major reasons for Tippu to abstain from Hindu
rulers: One is that he did not believe on the credibility of Hindu rulers. He
was even skeptic on Purnayya, his own minister who helped him with almost one
lakh soldiers and bumper of wealth. Another reason that he wants to establish
Islamic rule in entire South India and for that the Hindu rulers must have to
be abashed first.
-
A letter written by Tippu to Sultan of Karnool saying that he was
proud to inform his attempt to attack Travancore with an aim of looting the largest
wealth of the Non-Muslim ruler and also intending to convert at least two lack
Hindus to Islam. He highlighted this as an attempt to establish holy rule in a
vast kingdom.
-
Another letter to Sultan of Karnool expresses his great
self-impression on the achievement of making the Laksha Dweep (islands in Arabian
Sea) a Muslim island. Laksha Dweep was given to him as dowry along with the daughter
from Arakkal Royal family.
-
The letter he written to Nizam of Hyderabad, says that he was
blessed by Allah because of converting more than One and Half lakh Hindus to
the Islam. (All these letters are available
in British Museum, London and copy is there in Mysore Museum)
Generalization
All his attempts prove that he was
skeptic on Hindu rulers. There have no evidence even for single attempt to make
contact with contemporary Hindu rulers. He has not utilized even Purnayya, his
Brahmin Chief Minister, to make contact with any of the Hindu rulers. He fought
with Hindu rulers and not with Muslim rulers.
Religious
Decisions of Tippu: Islamic Fundamentalism?
A religious fundamentalist may not be a
religious fanatic. Of course, a fundamentalist a fanatic is segregated only
with a thin layer. For example, a fundamentalist consider his religion is great
and he perceives every social activities of the world through his own religious
eye. He may not be against other religions and may not enter in to direct fight
with other religions. But fanatic is different, who will enter in to direct war
with followers of other religions and will consider his religion the only
right.
Was Tippu Sultan an Islamic fundamentalist or fanatic? This is a question of controversy. Many of his attempts indisputably prove his religious fundamentalism and on the other hand some of his steps support his fanatic attitude. There have stories of his secular attitude also, but there have no evidences to support other than progressive historians’ preaching.
The so
called “padayottam” of Tippu in Malabar area of Kerala had restructured the
life there. By his six to eight years of presence in Malabar, the entire costal
belt of the region converted to Islam. Some of the largest and wealthiest groups
of families like Mooppans (Moopilans) of Tirur and Tanur, Nahas (neyyris and
Nethyars) of Parappanangadi, Koyas of Calicut were converted in mass to Islam.
He
renamed several places with Islamic tenor like Krishnattur
(Krishnanattukara) to Farookabad, presently known as Farook,and like Mangalapuri
(Mangalore) was changed to Jalalabad, Cannanore (Kanwapuram) to Kusanabad,
Bepur (Vaippura) to Sultanpatanam or Faruqui, Mysore to Nazarabad, Dharwar to
Quarshed-Sawad, Ooty and Nediyiruppu to Faiz-Hissar, Ratnagiri to Mustafabad,
Dindigul to Khaliqabad, and Calicut (Kozhikode) to Islamabad. Ganapthy vattom
is changed as Sulatnabad and later it is nomenclature by British as Sultan
Battery. It was after the death of Tippu Sultan that the local people reverted
to old names.
There have some deviated observations on Tippu’s
religious decisions. In the first part of his reign in particular he was a
religious bigot destroying many temples and Hindu habitats within his own
kingdom and many more in the invasion of Malabar. C. K. Kareem notes that Tippu
Sultan issued an edict for the destruction of Hindu temples in Kerala. Mass forced conversions took place during the
invasion of Malabar, outnumbered Nair warriors were given choice of Islam or
death. Lot of Nambbothiri Brahmin families also were converted to Islam. But
there are observations by many historians that after first Anglo – Mysore war,
certain changes were observed in his policies.
After being defeated in the first Anglo-Mysore war he
started dealing cordially with the Hindus in his kingdom so as to avoid
insurrection and get support in the face of the British power.
Historian Hayavadana C. Rao wrote about Tippu in
his encyclopedic work on the History of Mysore. He asserted that Tippu’s “religious fanaticism and
the excesses committed in the name of religion, both in Mysore and in the
provinces, stand condemned for all time. His bigotry, indeed, was so great that
it precluded all ideas of toleration”. He further asserts that the acts of
Tippu that were constructive towards Hindus were “largely political and
ostentatious rather than an indication of genuine tolerance.”
In 1783-84, 1788, 1789-90, Tipu personally led
the attacks on Malabar and Cochi (Kerala), besides sending his army contingents
to various resistance spots during the intervening period. Well-known
historian, P.S. Syed Muhammed, author of Kerala Muslim Charitram,
has to say about these invasions: “What
happened to Kerala because of Tipu’s invasion, reminds one of the invasion of
Chengez Khan and Timur in Indian history.”
Vadakunkur Raja Raja Varma writes in Kerala
Samskrita Sahitya Charitram (History of Sanskrit Literature in
Kerala): “The number of temples destroyed during Tipu’s invasion is countless.
It was the hobby of Tipu and his army to put the temples on fire and destroy
the idols and indulge in cow-slaughter.”
According to the Malabar
Manual of William Logan who
was the District Collector for some time, Thrichambaram and Thalipparampu
temples in Chirackal Taluqa, Thiruvangatu Temple (Brass Pagoda) in Tellicherry,
and Ponmeri Temple near Badakara were all destroyed by Tipu Sultan. The Malabar Manual mentions that the Maniyoor mosque was
once a Hindu temple. The local belief is that it was converted to a mosque
during the days of Tipu Sultan.
The Ramapuram temple and
Thiruvegappura Mahadeva temple were isolated. Both temples were the mostly
attracted temples before Tippu. Thiruvegappura temple was the largest temple
with highest vaaram (income and
wealth) under Zamorin. During the time the temple was preferred greatly by
public than Guruvayur temple. The Thiruvegappura was looted wildly. Many
temples in the coastal areas where destroyed. The costal people of that time
were financially unable to maintain big temples and also were not gifted by
rulers with good temples to worship. So it was very easy to destroy the small
temples along with mass conversion. Many Masjids, most of them reconstructed
during the two or three decades undoubtedly proves that they were originally
temples. Certain historians pointed that the construction was done like that of
Hindu temples and they were not originally temples. One can never agree that
the masjids constructed by Tippu and temples converted by Tippu to Masjid have
same types of design. More over Tippu had assistance of a big group of builders
with him and they were able to design and construct forts, and edifices. For
example, the Palakkad fort itself follows Vijayanagara design of fort
construction. It is almost a replication of Vellore fort that is constructed by
Vijayanagara Empire.
In a letter (December 14, 1788), he said to his army
commander in Calicut: “You should capture all the populaces. Those below 20
years may be kept in prison and 5,000 from the rest should be killed hanging
from treetops, the balance can be given the choice of Holy religion or else
they to be killed”. Writing on
The costal belts of Malabar were
experienced mass conversion to Islam during the period of Tippu. The costal
people, who were considered lower caste people of Hindu religion and lived a
very pathetic life was ready to convert to any ideology that may help them a
little to lead a good life. This might had helped Tippu to act with his attempt
for mass conversion. (But it has to read
in this context that still- even in these modern era- the costal Muslims -the puthu islams (poosluans)- are
marginalized community among the Muslims. They are fond of with their own
culture and practices and institutions. Very rarely they can marry from inner
land Muslims. Most of them are Matriarchal) All these steps are evident to
his attempts of Islamisation of Kingdom.
The experts in Historiography
observe that he was secular because he built temples in Fort. The Palakkad Fort
has a temple inside, which worships Anjaneya. Anjaneya is a synonym to Hanuman,
but was a new term to the Palakkad people. Moreover the indigenous people very
rarely worshipped Hanuman. Of course there had very old Hanuman sub-temples at
Thiruvilwamala, Kalpathy and at Melamuri along with the main temples of
Sreerama. The term and worship of Anjaneya was carried by Soldiers or Seepoyess
of Tippu from Karnataka itself. There is another chance that the temple was
named like that by the demand of Purnayya. Bahmins worshipped Hanuman with the
name Anjaneya. The temple he might have built for his soldiers and not for the indigenous
people of the place where he conquered.
Vatakkankoor Raja Raja Varma in his famous literary work, History of Sanskrit Literature in Kerala, has written the following about the loss and destruction faced by the Hindu temples in Kerala during the military regime (Padayottam) of Tipu Sultan: “There was no limit as to the loss the Hindu temples suffered due to the military operations of Tipu Sultan. Burning down the temples, destruction of the idols installed therein and also cutting the heads of cattle over the temple deities were the cruel entertainments of Tipu Sultan and his equally army. It was heartrending even to imagine the destruction caused by Tipu Sultan in the famous ancient temples of Thalipparampu and Thrichambaram.”
Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai wrote in the Mathrubhoomi Weekly of December 25, 1955: ‘After Tippu,
Muhammadans greatly increased in number. Hindus were forcibly circumcised in
thousands. As a result of Tipu’s atrocities, strength of Nairs and Chamars
(Scheduled Castes) significantly diminished in number. Namboodiris also substantially
decreased in number.’
Thali, Thiruvannur, Varackal, Puthur, Govindapuram,
Thalikkunnu and other important temples in the town of Kozhikode as well as
those nearby were completely destroyed as a result of Tipu's military
operations. Some of them were reconstructed by the Zamorin after he returned
following the defeat of Tippu Sultan in Sreerangapatanam and the Treaty of
1792.
The devastation caused by Tippu Sultan to the ancient temples
of Keraladheeswara puram, Thrikkandiyoor and Thriprangatu in Vettum region was
terrible. The Zamorin renovated these temples to some extent. The famous and
ancient Thirunavaya Temple, known throughout the country as an ancient
teaching-centre of the Vedas, revered by the devotees of Vishnu from Tamil
Nadu, and existing before the advent of Christ, was also plundered and
destroyed by Tippu’s army (Malabar Gazetteer). Tippu converted the
Thrikkavu Temple into an ammunition depot in Ponnani (Malabar Manual).
Kotikkunnu, Thrithala, Panniyoor and other family temples of the Zamorin were
plundered and destroyed. The famous Sukapuram Temple was also desecrated.
According to Lewis B. Boury, Hyder Ali Khan had exempted
temples from the payment of land tax. But Tippu Sultan forced the temples to
pay heavy taxes. The famous Hemambika Temple at Kalpathi of the Palghat Raja
who had surrendered to Hyder Ali Khan, the Kachamkurissi Temple of the
Kollamkottu Raja who had deserted the Zamorin and sided with Hyder Ali Khan,
and also the Jain Temple at Palghat suffered serious damages due to the policies
of Tipu Sultan.
K.V. Krishna Iyer observes in his book, Zamorins of Calicut, based on
historical records available from the royal house of Zamorins in Calicut thus:
“When the second-in-line of Zamorins, Eralppad, refused to cooperate with Tippu
Sultan in his military operations against Travancore because of Tippu’s methods
of forcible circumcision and conversion of Hindus to Islam, the enraged Tippu
Sultan took a solemn oath to circumcise and convert the Zamorin and his
chieftains and Hindu soldiers to Islamic faith.”
M.A. Gopal Rao, stated thus: ‘In a
deliberately designed taxation scheme, the religious prejudice of Tippu Sultan
became quite clear. Muslims were exempted from house tax, commodity tax and
also the levy on other items of household use. Those who were converted to Islam
were also given similar tax exemptions. He had made provisions for the
religious education of their children. Number of Makthabs and Madrassas were
established all the areas of his kingdom. Tippu Sultan discontinued the
practice of appointing Hindus in different administrative and military jobs as practiced
by his father, Hyder Ali Khan, in the past.
During the entire period of sixteen years of his regime,
Purnaiyya was the only Hindu who had adorned the post of Dewan or minister
under Tipu Sultan. In 1797 (two years before his death) among the 65 senior
Government posts, not even a single Hindu was retained. All the Mustadirs were
also Muslims. Among the 26 civil and military officers captured by the British
in 1792 there were only 6 non-Muslims. In 1789, when the Nizam of Hyderabad and
other Muslim rulers decided that only Muslims would be appointed henceforth in
all Government posts, Tippu Sultan also adopted the same policy in his Mysore
State.
Considering the interest and convenience of Muslim officers,
all the records relating to tax revenue, were ordered to be written in Persian
rather than in Marathi and Kannada as followed earlier. He even tried to make
Persian the State language in place of Kannada. During his period, the Muslims,
both preserved and converted, were compelled to Speak Persian. Even now the
Muslims of Mysore, Banglore and nearby places speak Urdu and they deny learning
Kannada. Urdu is their mother tongue!
Generalization
Tippu was a great ruler. He was very
mighty warrior. He conquered a big area of South India, that extents from
modern Andra, Karnataka, Tamilandu, Lakshaweep and Kerala. He became able to
enact a same type of rule all over his kingdom. He got support of all type of
soldiers. Historic notes of his cremation that assembled by thousands of people
irrespective of religious belief acclaim his public support. At the same time,
one can never shut eyes towards his policies towards foreign countries and
Non-Muslim people. He was a strong devotee of Islamic beliefs. His religious
policies have a very thin patrician of Islamic fundamentalism and fanaticism.
His policies paved the way for large spread of Islam in Kerala. The mass
conversion of Hindus to Islam was the result of Tippu’s Padayotttam. He may be read as secular by many, and that may have
desirable social effect, but it is not historically factual and truth. Tippu
should be studied more with unbiased outlook by historians.
Bibliography
Raja
P C N (1964) Kerala Kesari Annual. Kozhikode, Kesari Publications
Tippu
Sultan - Encyclopedia Britannica (2011). Encyclopedia Britannica Online
Logan,
William (2006). Malabar Manual, Mathrubhumi Books, Kozhikode. ISBN 978-81-8264-046-7
Education
A. Sreedhara Menon (1999) Kerala District Gazetteers: & suppl. Kozhikole By Kerala
(India). Dept. of p.149
Travancore
State Manual by T.K Velu Pillai, Pages 373 to 385
The
Travancore state manual by Aiya, V. Nagam. pp.381–384
Alan
Machado Prabhu (1999) Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean
Christians, , I.J.A. Publications, p. 173
History of
Tipu Sultan By Mohibbul Hasan p.141-143
Kerala State gazetteer, Volume 2, Part 2 By Adoor K. K.
Ramachandran Nair p.174
Gazetteer
of the Bombay Presidency, Volume 1, Part 2 By Bombay (India : State) p.660
Kerala
under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan By C. K. Kareem p.198
History of Cochin State by K.P. Padmanabha Menon, Mathrubhoomi Publication, 1989
Malabar Manual by William Logan (Printed and published by Charitram
Publications under the editorship of Dr. C.K, Kareem, Trivandrum).
Bhasha Poshini of Chingam 10, 1099 (August, 1923), Article on Tipu Sultan by
Sardar K.M. Panicker
http://agniveer.com/tipu-sultan/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu_Sultan
ABSTRACT
Liaison with Foreign
Powers and Religious Policies: A Critical Discussion on Tippu Sultan’s
Strategies and Rule
Policies of Tippu towards Foreign
powers and Religions other than Islam were numinous and controversial. Many
historians read Tippu a secular and another counterpart read him as religious
fanatic or fundamentalist.
Tippu
had a strong intention of becoming the Emperor of South India. This ambition
made him against British rule, not because they were foreign rulers. He had no
reluctance to be in strong alliance with foreign nations. He was very much
alliance with France. This policy underline that Tippu was common as other rulers
of the period. He was against British for his gains and in alliance with France
for the same.
There
have enough explanations by historians claim that Tippu was secular and
supporter to other religions. There have assertions that Tippu had given splendid
gifts to Hindu temples. But it is not the fact.
Tippu’s attempts prove that he was skeptic on Hindu
rulers. There have no evidence even for single attempt to make contact with
contemporary Hindu rulers. He fought with all of the contemporary Hindu rulers.
Many of his attempts indisputably prove his religious fundamentalism and on the
other hand some of his steps support his fanatic attitude. Tippu was too much
Islamic in his policies. He done deliberate attempts to convert Hindus to Islam
and looted many temples. Tippu was a great ruler established a large kingdom,
but his policies towards Non-Islamic religions, particularly against Hindus, disgrace
his credential.
- Epilogue: The reputed historian,
Lewis Rice, who wrote the History of Mysore after going through various official
records, stated thus: “In the vast empire of Tippu Sultan on the eve of his
death, there were only two Hindu temples having daily pujas within the
Sreerangapatanam fortress. It is only for the satisfaction of the Brahmin
astrologers who used to study his horoscope that Tippu Sultan had spared those
two temples. The entire wealth of every Hindu temple was confiscated before
1790 itself mainly to make up for the revenue loss due to total prohibition in
the country.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sankaranarayanan Paleeri, Ast.
Professor- Social Science, NSS Training College, Ottappalam, Palakkad.
Email:paleeri@gmail.com. ph:9447843559
Title of the Paper:
Liaison with Foreign
Powers and Religious Policies: A Critical Discussion on Tippu Sultan’s
Strategies and Rule
Author Name: Sankaranarayanan Paleeri
Address: Assistant Professor
Dept.
of Social Science
NSS
Training College
Ottappalam,
Palakkad
Email: paleeri@gmail.com
Blog : www.paleeri.blogspot.com
Ph: 947843559
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