Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore's Interregnum, 1760–1799

by Vikram Sampath, S.L. Bhyrappa (Foreword)

Tipu’s ascent to power was accidental. His father Haidar Ali was a beneficiary of the benevolence of the Maharaja of Mysore. But in a series of fascinating events, the Machiavellian Haidar ran with the hare and hunted with the hounds; he ended up overthrowing his own benefactor and usurping the throne of Mysore from the Wodeyars in 1761. In a war-scarred life, father and son led Mysore through four momentous battles against the British, termed the Anglo-Mysore Wars. The first two, led by Haidar, brought the English East India Company to its knees. Chasing the enemy to the very gates of Madras, Haidar made the British sign such humiliating terms of treaties that sent shockwaves back in London.

In the hubris of this success, Tipu obtained the kingdom on a platter, unlike his father, who worked up the ranks to achieve glory. In a diabolical war thirst, Tipu launched lethal attacks on Malabar, Mangalore, Travancore, Coorg, and left behind a trail of death, destruction and worse, mass-conversions and the desecration of religious places of worship. While he was an astute administrator and a brave soldier, the strategic tact with opponents and the diplomatic balance that Haidar had sought to maintain with the Hindu majority were both dangerously upset by Tipu’s foolhardiness on matters of faith. The social report card of this eighteenth-century ruler was anything but clean. And yet, one simply cannot deny his position as a renowned military warrior and one of the most powerful rulers of Southern India.

Meticulously researched, authoritative and unputdownable, Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore's Interregnum (1760–1799) opens a window to the life and times of one of the most debated figures from India’s history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, India, Asia, Politics

984 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2024

About the author

Born and raised in Bangalore, Vikram Sampath completed his schooling in Bangalore at the Sri Aurobindo Memorial School and Bishop Cotton Boys' School. He thereafter obtained a Bachelors in Engineering in Electronics and a Masters in Mathematics from one of India's most reputed schools, BITS-Pilani. He then went on to obtain an MBA in Finance from S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. Vikram has worked in many leading multinational firms like GE Money and Citibank and currently is a Team Leader with a information technology company in Bangalore.

His first book, Splendours of Royal Mysore: The Untold Story of the Wodeyars has been widely acclaimed across India, and has been termed as one of the most definitive accounts on the Mysore royal family in recent times. His second book "My Name is Gauhar Jaan!" - The Life and Times of a Musician is the biography of Gauhar Jaan, India's first classical musician to record on the gramophone. The book has been hailed by several luminaries in India and abroad, and has also won the prestigious ARSC (Association of Recorded Sound Collections) International Award for Excellence in Historical Research - the first Indian book to have ever won this honour. Vikram's third book Voice of the Veena: S Balachander - A Biography narrates the story of eminent Veena maestro late Padmabhushan Dr. S Balachander.

Vikram has been a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) in Berlin, Germany (for 2010-11) where he studied the early gramophone recordings of Indian music. He has also established the Archive of Indian Music (AIM) as a private Trust that seeks to digitize and preserve old gramophone recordings of India.

Vikram publishes regularly in leading Indian dailies and magazines on a wide array of topics. In addition, Vikram is also a serious student of Carnatic Classical vocal music and has been training under various eminent practitioners of the art form. Subjects related to history, music, art and culture are close to his heart.

Reviews

[Aditya Saraff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took two weeks to finish. 900 pages. This is the most exhaustive, extensive and authoritative account on Tipu that I have come across. Dr. Sampath’s effort at making history interesting and narrative while sticking to its authenticity and to absolute facts without bias (so much so that he studied Farsi so as to not place undue faith in translations) must be commended! Would absolutely recommend as a read :)

[Amit Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laden with facts, strewn with dates and chronological events which readily assuage any lingering doubts of its reportage

The arduous efforts and travails of Author Vikram Sampath conspicuously stand out.

It can qualify as a text book for academia or even a research scholar.

The forward by S.L.Bhyrappa from NCERT accords this 800 page treatise an accreditation which is incontestible

[Droocoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too much detail at times but nevertheless well written and enjoyable

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is long but worth reading. Tipu Sultan, unlike his father, Haider Ali, has been one of the most misunderstood and divisive characters in Indian history.
If Vikram Sampath’s book had focused only on Tipu Sultan’s life and times, it would have been a lesser book, but I am glad that he resisted the temptation to start the narrative with Tipu’s birth. We, the readers, would not have gained any insight into his background, his father’s influence, the disputes with their neighbors, the Wodeyar family, and the dispute with the English East India Company.
Vikram Sampath considers both Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan cruel, and he is correct. He portrays Haider Ali as ambitious and ruthless, and he is correct. However, his error in doing so is to educate the leader on the cruelty and ruthlessness we see in the world even today. The difference is that, instead of using swords and cannons, we now use bombs, drones, and modern weapons: the underlying human motive remains the same, even if the technology has changed.
Vikram Sampath contrasts Haider Ali’s religious pluralism with Tipu Sultan’s bigotry, the father’s ruling in the name of the Wodeyar family, his diplomacy with neighbors, and Tipu’s mindless ambition.
His telling of the tale is magnificent, detailing Tipu’s rise and fall, bravery, and desperation at the end. The chapters detailing Haider Ali’s and Tipu Sultan’s legacies are superb and balanced, clearly showing that both were complex men. Tipu Sultan found the time to administer his territories well, build a sound economy, and create a prosperous environment for their people.
In the end, Tipu Sultan made grievous errors in managing his neighbors, forcing them to seek refuge in the clutches of the perfidious British East India Company.
We must realize – and many people do not – that Tipu Sultan was the last barrier between the Indian subcontinent and the formation of the English empire in India. Tipu Sultan’s legacy is little understood, which is a tragedy. Read this excellent book to understand the man and his times better.

[Dr.Javed Rasheed · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historians or authors who have written books on Indian monarchs whether it is the Mughals who ruled India,have been mostly by Englishmen who have written about Indian rulers as some are facts and some are fiction. We have read some when we were in school. I was born in 1957 which was exactly 10 years after India 🇮🇳 attained independence. This book is biased and the background of the author who has written a few books in which he seems to have glorified a few controversial characters in indian history who were responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. A few so called Pseudo Secularists have sprung up recently and a thorough research of a character especially a monarch needs to be done accurately before the character assassination here especially Haider Ali who is shown in very bad light and made him a womaniser, tyrant , and even his son Tipu Sultan has been portrayed in a very bad manner and this is the first book that I have read that portrays both the father and son in such a bad light ! But considering the authors biased background, this is hardly surprising as one has seen a lot of Islamamophbia mushrooming in India 🇮🇳since 2014 which again is not very surprising considering the present mood in the country.
Dr. Javed Rasheed

[Lakshmi Venkatesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Icon or Oppressor-The real Tipu Sultan emerges from the shadows.

A meticulously researched and thought provoking biography which goes beyond the dichotomy of portrayal of Tipu sultan as a hero or tyrant to explore the complexities of his reign which was as complex as him.
Ironical! hailing from south I never knew this side of our history.
Thank You Dr VIKRAM SAMPATH you opened my eyes.
Essential reading.Brave Brilliant and unflinchingly honest and deeply researched book.

[Harsh Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch my review video here: https://youtu.be/mHH8tRgG_Cw?si=ZXHll...

[Saranya De · Rating 2 out of 5]

A must read for History enthusiasts!

[Subramaniam Avinash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book only because I thought it was necessary to know more sides of the Tipu story. It delivers on that count in spades. What it doesn't do is offer an enjoyable reading experience. So if you're looking for good writing, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you want to know more (tons more) about Tipu Sultan (and his father Hyder Ali), you're in for a treat—but only if you can endure pages and pages of very poorly written prose that seems to agree with the British take on the Tipu story. Mr Sampath is (perhaps) a good historian. What he definitely isn't is a fine writer.

[Sajith Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around midnight on Sep 7, 1965, in the middle of India-Pakistan war, five battleships of the Pakistan navy surreptitiously sailed to Indian waters and struck the temple town of Dwaraka in Gujarat. The target was ostensibly a radar station installed there. But Pakistan had named this mission ‘Operation Somnath’, so the real intent was clearly to destroy the temple there so that the attack would add one more item in the long list of Islamic invasions on Hindu holy places. The attacking vessels were carefully chosen. They were named PNS (Pakistan Navy Ship) Babur, PNS Jahangir, PNS Shah Jehan, PNS Alamgir and PNS Tipu Sultan. The first four were Mughal emperors and their empire geographically overlapped the territory of modern Pakistan. So, there is an iota of justification in selecting them because the Pakistanis may have wanted to relish their legacy of Hindu-bashing. But what about the fifth vessel, the one named after Tipu Sultan? Tipu’s kingdom was entirely bound by South India and which was in no way affiliated to Pakistan. Then why did they choose to honour this Kannada-speaking South Indian? In the answer to this question lies the true legacy of Tipu Sultan. The shrewd Pakistanis had learnt their history lessons well, unlike the pea-brained Indian ‘secular’ historians who dominated Indian academia who still portray Tipu as a tolerant and innovative ruler and a freedom-fighter too! On the other hand, there is a considerable and growing head of opinion judging the sultan as the Aurangzeb of the South. This huge yet excellent book by Vikram Sampath successfully analyses the interregnum in Mysore between 1760 and 1799 filled by the reign of the father-son duo Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. The book has 904 pages, 775 of them containing the narrative and others cataloguing the immense notes, bibliography and index. This seems to be the largest book ever on Tipu Sultan.

Both Haider and Tipu did not oust the titular Wodeyar king but ruled as his regents, concentrating all power in their hands. Haider did not possess any daring or generous spirit of the hero. He is better known for the steady pursuit of his aims and the moral flexibility of his means. His career was marked by implacable vindictiveness and gross ingratitude since revenge was profitable and gratitude expensive. He adroitly used the machinery of fraud and force to establish and consolidate his authority. Sampath analyses the contrast in personal character between the father and son. Haider, though treacherous to his benefactors, treated his Hindu subjects with goodwill and toleration. He never allowed any reduction in the allowances of temples and even ordered against cow slaughter (p.79). He engraved images of Shiva and Parvati in the newly minted Haidari pagoda coins he introduced in Bidanur. He always dishonoured his promises which included forcefully appropriating the wife of the Prince of Bidanur who was his ally and working closely with him for securing the city against enemies. In battle, he was very firm and ruthless. During the Malabar invasions, Haider offered five rupees to anyone who brought him the head of a Nair that was able to fight; if it was an old man, he gave four rupees and if a boy, three. A price of three rupees was also paid for every Nair woman captured alive (p.107) for sexual slavery. His carnal lust for women was notorious and there was no level to which he would stoop to satisfy his desire. Haider employed nomadic women playing the drum with songs to roam around the country. They collected information on what people thought of him and also about beautiful women in the locality. Haider’s men would then go to the suggested house and brought these beauties to his harem either through coercion or wilful surrender. Sometimes, he ‘graciously’ permitted them to go back to their parents after using them or partitioning them amongst his followers (p.270).

There was much contrast between Haider and Tipu, both physical and mental. The father was fair in complexion like a Persian while the son was exceedingly dark. In some other books, there are even references to him resembling a Siddhi – a descendant of Africans who worked in the royal household. Tipu was imparted a strict religious education which Haider accused as to make him fit for a moulvi than a ruler. Haider also lamented prophetically that the religious bigotry imparted to his teenage son would cause the ruin of their kingdom. True to his father’s concerns, Tipu decimated in sixteen years all that his father conquered in twenty-three years, while not adding anything to his inherited domain. Tipu was not even as brave as he is sometimes made out to be. Of course, he died with a sword in his hand and in battle but that was the immediate outcome of a hopeless situation when the enemies suddenly charged through a breach in the fort walls while he was inspecting it. He was scared of the confederate forces marching to Srirangapatna in the Third Anglo-Mysore war in 1791. He had frescoes and caricatures painted on the outer walls of the town featuring a tiger seizing an Englishman, a horseman cutting off two British heads and the Nawab of Arcot – his enemy but a British ally – in chains. When the opponents neared the capital, he quietly whitewashed it all (p.458). While Haider’s perversities may be excused in view of the mores of the time or even to human frailty, Tipu’s conduct was nothing but monstrous. Tipu thought out novel ways of killing infidels. He ordered 700 families of Vaishnavite Brahmins called Mandyam Aiyangars to be locked inside the Lakshmi Naramsimha Temple in Srirangapatna and let in armed soldiers and elephants into the crowded premises at night. Many of the victims were trampled to death on the eve of Deepavali festival. The reason for this massacre was that one of their caste-men – who was not in the punished crowd – plotted against the sultan. In Calicut, he devised a diabolical way of killing very young children along with their mothers. First the mothers were hung, followed by their children similarly hung from their mother’s necks (p.730). The book includes a glance on Tipu’s register of dreams in which he diligently wrote down his dreams and interpreted them. These also show a deranged mind vehemently wishing for the extermination of all infidels. Sampath also records a few instances in which he acted to the contrary such as patronizing the Ranganathaswamy Temple in the capital and Sringeri Math. But this was after his defeat in 1792 and was more of an effort to rally his Hindu subjects to his cause.

Tipu’s claims to be a freedom-fighter are examined in this book. The only logic behind this fantastic assertion is that he fought against the British. But what he fought for was only his personal wealth in the kingdom which he ruled. He was materially and spiritually allied to foreign powers all the time. Tipu sent an embassy to Caliph Abdul Hamid I in Istanbul and obtained permission to assume the title of an independent king of Mysore. The diary of this embassy titled Waqai-i-Manazil-i-Rum compiled by Mohibbul Hasan was reviewed earlier here. His embassy to France seeking military alliance and partitioning of Indian territory failed to impress Louis XVI only because he was reluctant to antagonize the British. The diplomats were then politely asked to leave. Two of the leaders of the mission – Akbar Ali Khan and Osman Khan – were put to death by Tipu when they came back home. Haider was even more unprincipled in the case of alliances. In 1764, he sought alliance and help from the British at Bombay when he was besieged by Peshwa Madhava Rao. Haider offered the entire sandalwood and pepper trade of the coast to the British and to cede lands north of the Tungabhadra river. Here again, the British were ambivalent as they were wary of offending the Marathas. So much for freedom-fighting!

The book includes a comprehensive review of Mysore’s wars with her neighbours and foreign powers in the four decades after 1760. This seems to be the time when modern Tamil Nadu was completely under the yoke of external rulers like the Nawab of Arcot, governors of Nizam, the Mysore sultans, and the Anglo-French. Mysore’s battles had a profound impact on the twists and turns of Indian history in this century. The First Anglo-Mysore War was the instance that shattered the myth of the invincibility of European powers against an Indian force. Sampath has included many gruesome details of Tipu’s suppression of the natives of Malabar and the inhuman atrocities he inflicted on them in 1789-90. This was in addition to torture, murder, pillage, rape and religious conversion on a large scale. Finally, all powers in the region – British, Nizam and Maratha – joined hands to fight Tipu in the Third Anglo-Mysore war. Governor General Lord Cornwallis himself led the forces. Tipu was totally defeated in the war and was forced to cede half of his kingdom to the victors. As a surety for the pending payment of war indemnity, two of Tipu’s sons, aged four and five years, were handed over to the British as hostages. They returned to their father only after two years when the payment was made in full. After this humiliation, Tipu was not allowed to strengthen his forces. The Allies were waiting for a ruse to oust him. In a sense, his position was comparable to that of Saddam Hussein after his defeat in the First Gulf War in 1991. Alleging that he possessed weapons of mass destruction, he was defeated in 2003 and killed. In a similar vein, Tipu was alleged to be forging links with the French which was in violation of the 1792 ceasefire treaty. The British and Nizam combined their forces and defeated Tipu again in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. Tipu himself died defending his citadel. While there was widespread discontent and treachery against Tipu, his own bad leadership, terrible follies, missed opportunities and lack of strategic moves at critical points cost him dearly in the decisive battle.

The book has given great care to see if Tipu can be termed a tolerant ruler at least in the medieval sense but concludes with a negative response. The sheer discrimination of his subjects on the basis of religion was a shame to humanity. Rule 73 of Tipu’s revenue code stated that persons who converted to Islam were entitled to a discount of half of the assessed revenue if he was a farmer. If he was a merchant, his goods shall pass tax-free (p.677). The author also debunks the efforts of modern Left-Islamist historians to add a secularist sheen to the image of Tipu. Several misrepresentation made by Mohibbul Hasan are called out at various points in the book. The atrocities committed on the people of Malabar or Coorg or the Mangalore Christians or Mandyam Iyengars definitely fall in the modern definition of genocide. Sampath concludes that that all kings were violent and all wars were bloody is a flimsy, insufficient cover to show that some were indeed more violent than the norms and manifested a deep-seated theological intent to commit these acts (p.768). Tipu was a mixed bag of arrogant bigotry and trembling superstition. This extraordinary combination made him show occasional respect for the object of persecution amidst general intolerance. In the final stages, he implored Hindu priests to perform pujas for him. Tipu employed several Hindus in his administration and military and they willingly worked their best for him without making even a single attempt on his life. This glaring irony is actually a reflection of the absence of a feeling of belonging to a common community and the lack of an organization that united the Hindu community. They were divided as always even under extreme oppression and the enemy mercilessly cut them down.

The book is an authentic and unbiased version of Tipu’s history with a long list of references, notes, variety of sources, citations and bibliography. Many of the observations made by the author naturally follow from antecedent events which ‘secular’ scholars are loathe to write down even though true. The book is adorned with an excellent foreword by noted Kannada author and historian S. L. Bhyrappa in which he thunders with indignation whether the nation can reinforce secularism by a false portrayal of history. The book gives more prominence to battles that readers get a feeling of always standing on the battlefront. But that was the nature of Tipu’s political policy. The book includes some rare paintings of major personalities produced during Tipu’s rule or immediately after his fall. The author has given some attention to reproduce samples of oriental fascination of British art, theatre, poetry, prose and literature on the subject of Tipu Sultan.

The book is highly recommended.

[Nishu Thakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book on Tipu.

[Dr. Prosenjit Nath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vikram Sampath’s magnum opus on Tipu Sultan delves into the tumultuous period of Mysore’s history from 1760 to 1799, a time dominated by the reign of Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. This colossal work, possibly the most extensive ever written on Tipu Sultan, is a painstakingly researched account that combines narrative brilliance with academic rigor. Through its exhaustive notes, bibliography, and index, Sampath’s book presents a comprehensive examination of the father-son duo’s rule, revealing their contrasting personalities, administrative policies, and military exploits. The author’s analysis of Tipu Sultan’s legacy, particularly in the context of religious intolerance, warfare, and his controversial portrayal as a freedom fighter, is a profound critique of Indian historiography.

The opening anecdote of the book the naming of a Pakistani naval vessel after Tipu Sultan during the 1965 India-Pakistan war sets the tone for the investigation into his legacy. This symbolic act underscores the sharp dichotomy in how Tipu Sultan is perceived: revered by some as a progressive ruler and freedom fighter but reviled by others as a religious zealot and tyrant. Sampath’s study meticulously unravels this paradox, providing readers with an unvarnished look at the sultan’s policies and actions.

The narrative begins with Haider Ali’s rise to power as the de facto ruler of Mysore, despite maintaining the titular Wodeyar king. Haider was characterized by his cunning, ambition, and ruthlessness. While his treatment of allies and rivals was marked by treachery and vindictiveness, he displayed a measure of religious tolerance towards his Hindu subjects. Haider not only preserved temple grants but also minted coins bearing Hindu deities, demonstrating a pragmatic approach to governance. His military campaigns, however, were brutal. Sampath recounts the atrocities committed during Haider’s Malabar invasions, including bounties on Nair's heads and the capture of women for sexual slavery. These actions reveal a man driven by power and greed, willing to exploit violence to achieve his ends.

In contrast, Tipu Sultan’s reign was marked by overt religiosity and bigotry that shaped his administrative and military policies. Tipu’s strict Islamic education, instilled by his father, foreshadowed the zealotry that would define his rule. Haider had reportedly lamented that Tipu’s fanaticism would ruin the kingdom, a prophecy that proved accurate. Despite inheriting a vast and powerful domain, Tipu’s mismanagement and religious intolerance alienated his subjects and weakened Mysore. His actions, such as the massacre of the Mandyam Iyengars during Deepavali and the gruesome atrocities in Malabar, including the hanging of mothers and children, underscore the inhumanity of his rule. Sampath’s inclusion of these 5chilling details paints a vivid picture of a ruler whose religious fervour often overshadowed pragmatic governance.

Tipu’s claims of being a freedom fighter are rigorously scrutinized. The notion that he fought against the British for India’s liberation is dismissed as a myth. Sampath argues that Tipu’s primary concern was safeguarding his kingdom and wealth, rather than any overarching vision of Indian independence. His alliances with foreign powers, including the Ottoman Caliphate and France, further undermine this claim. These diplomatic endeavours, aimed at bolstering his position against the British, highlight his self-serving motives. Tipu’s repeated betrayals of allies, such as the execution of his envoys upon their return from a failed mission to France, further illustrate his opportunism.
The book’s detailed accounts of Mysore’s wars provide a critical perspective on Tipu’s military strategies and their impact on Indian history. The First Anglo-Mysore War shattered the myth of European invincibility, while the Third and Fourth Wars exposed Tipu’s strategic blunders and overreliance on foreign alliances. The final siege of Seringapatam, culminating in Tipu’s death, marked the end of an era and underscored his inability to adapt to changing political realities. Sampath’s comparison of Tipu’s downfall to Saddam Hussein’s defeat in the Gulf War is particularly striking, highlighting the parallels in their isolation and ultimate demise.

Sampath does not shy away from examining instances where Tipu displayed tolerance, such as his patronage of the Ranganathaswamy Temple and Sringeri Math. However, these acts are contextualized as pragmatic gestures aimed at consolidating support among his Hindu subjects following his military defeats. The selective nature of these actions, juxtaposed with his systemic discrimination and atrocities, reinforces the author’s conclusion that Tipu’s rule was far from the secular ideal often portrayed by revisionist historians.

The book also addresses the historiographical distortions that have shaped Tipu’s image. Sampath critiques the romanticized accounts of Left-leaning historians who downplay or ignore the sultan’s bigotry and violence. By juxtaposing these narratives with primary sources, including Tipu’s dream register and revenue codes, the author exposes the selective portrayal of history that seeks to align Tipu with modern secular ideals. The revenue code’s provisions, which incentivized conversions to Islam through tax exemptions, further debunk the myth of his egalitarianism.

Sampath’s book is adorned with rare paintings and illustrations that enrich the narrative, providing a visual dimension to the historical events and personalities discussed. The inclusion of British artistic interpretations of Tipu Sultan, reflecting their fascination and fear of him, adds an intriguing layer to the analysis. The foreword by S. L. Bhyrappa, a renowned Kannada author and historian, sets the stage for the book’s uncompromising approach to historical truth. Bhyrappa’s incisive commentary questions the ethical implications of perpetuating falsehoods in the name of secularism, echoing the book’s central thesis.

While the book’s focus on battles and military campaigns might seem excessive to some readers, it is a necessary reflection of Tipu’s political and military priorities. Sampath’s meticulous attention to detail ensures that readers are immersed in the chaos and drama of 18th-century Mysore, providing a visceral understanding of the era’s complexities. The author’s ability to balance scholarly analysis with engaging storytelling makes this a compelling read for both academics and general readers.

Vikram Sampath’s biography of Tipu Sultan is a monumental achievement that challenges prevailing narratives and offers a nuanced perspective on one of India’s most polarizing historical figures. Through its exhaustive research and balanced analysis, the book dismantles the myths surrounding Tipu’s legacy, revealing a ruler whose actions were shaped by religious bigotry, personal ambition, and strategic miscalculations. In doing so, it provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about India’s past and the figures who shaped it. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of Tipu Sultan’s reign and its enduring impact on Indian history.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met Tipu Sultan not in a textbook or a documentary, but in the ink-smudged pages of an old popular history novel that belonged to my grandfather—where his legacy glimmered like a complicated star, a strange blend of valour and venom.

That early acquaintance was soaked in romantic nationalism—Tipu, the Tiger of Mysore, roaring against British oppression. But what Vikram Sampath delivers in his 984-page magnum opus is a bulldozing of myths, executed not with bias, but with blistering evidence, a colossal archive, and a cold historian’s scalpel.

This is not a tale of freedom fighting, but of interregnum—an era between Wodeyar monarchs dominated by Haidar Ali and his son, Tipu Sultan. The narrative rewires how we see this time—not as resistance to colonialism, but as a relentless bid for centralized, absolutist power. Sampath digs deep into archival letters, state documents, British and Mysorean accounts, and demolishes the pious legends one page at a time.

Tipu Sultan, as Sampath portrays him, was a man driven more by theological zeal and personal glory than the ideals of a pluralistic kingdom. Sampath doesn’t just whisper this into the reader’s ears—he thunders it with reference after reference. Take, for instance, Rule 73 of Tipu’s revenue code, where a Hindu farmer converting to Islam was rewarded with a 50% tax exemption. Or merchants who, upon embracing Islam, found their goods exempted from taxes altogether. This wasn’t pragmatic statecraft. This was systemic religious coercion, baked into fiscal policy (p.677).

For those accustomed to Left-leaning hagiographies of Tipu—especially the likes of Mohibbul Hasan—Sampath’s book reads like a counter-history that had been waiting, too long, to erupt. He calls out distortions with clinical precision. The destruction of temples, forced conversions, and public floggings of dissenters were not exceptions; they were policy. The atrocities committed in Malabar, Mangalore, Coorg, and against the Mandyam Iyengars qualify, under modern international law, as genocidal (p.768). Sampath argues that while all pre-modern kings were violent, some crossed the line of accepted norms with theological conviction—and Tipu, tragically, was one of them.

And yet, Sampath allows contradictions to live. Tipu employed many Hindus in his administration, and not one of them ever attempted to assassinate him. This is not a testament to his popularity, Sampath contends, but to the fragmented nature of Hindu society—fractured along caste, sect, and regional lines, unable to forge a unified resistance. It’s a bitter pill, but one we must swallow if we are to learn from the past.

The book devotes a staggering amount of space to military campaigns—Tipu’s rockets, siege strategies, and foreign intrigues with the Ottomans and the French. The prose feels like war reporting from 18th-century battlefields. But this choice is deliberate—Tipu’s entire reign was one long war. Peace was an interlude, not the point.

Sampath isn’t merely interested in dry documentation. The book includes rare paintings and samples of British literary and theatrical fascinations with Tipu, adding aesthetic depth to the political discourse. And Kannada historian S. L. Bhyrappa’s foreword is pure fire—he asks, can secularism be reinforced on a foundation of false history?

There’s a visceral resonance between this history and the present. The ongoing conflicts in Maharashtra and elsewhere, where figures like Aurangzeb and Tipu become flashpoints for violent identity politics, reveal how historical memory is weaponized. When statues of these rulers are defended in modern India, it is not history being preserved—it is unresolved trauma being reignited. As Sampath subtly implies, national healing cannot begin without truth.

Letters written by Tipu himself leave little room for ambiguity. In a letter dated January 19, 1790, he boasts of converting four lakh Hindus to Islam in Malabar. Another declares the total Islamization of Calicut. His sword was inscribed with a chilling plea: “My Lord, help me to eliminate the infidels.” He destroyed an estimated 8000 temples during his campaigns. This is not hyperbole—it’s historiography, supported by William Logan, George Harris, and even Tipu’s own court chronicler, Mir Hussain Kirmani.

And yet, the irony is heartbreaking. A ruler who imposed religious tyranny could also tremble in superstition, imploring Hindu priests to perform pujas for his health as death closed in. A king so feared, he could inspire loyalty from those he persecuted. This paradox is perhaps the most damning indictment of his rule—his intolerance wasn’t born of strength, but of fear.

In closing, Sampath’s Tipu Sultan is a sledgehammer in the archives of Indian historiography. It refuses to decorate history with sweetened myths. It insists that truth—even when it makes us squirm—is the only foundation on which a civilized society can stand.

There is no place for rulers like Aurangzeb and Tipu in our pantheon of ideals, however grand their ambitions or ornate their courts. History must be a mirror, not a mask.

And perhaps, at last, I’ve grown out of that 1989 Tipu—the tiger I once admired in a children’s magazine.

Vikram Sampath shows us that some legends must be unlearned so that the truth, however uneasy, may roar instead.

A long long time I took to complete the book. However, it was worth the effort.

[Fawaaz A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Serious people interested in history must be wary of propoganda. There is a fundamental problem with this book that affects its authority. And that is the author’s political ideology affecting the facts and portrayal and colouring the entire narrative. Sampath’s cases of plagiarism aside, his entire objective rather simply seems to hope to malign the subject and tends to mysteriously leave out facts that make thise who is sympathetic to such as the Wadiyars and their alliance with the british that effectively handed Mysore to them and also hopes to paint communal shades over the subject’s actions despite it being fairly obvious to more reputable historians that they had more to do with power, loyalty and strategic interest. No wonder, that historians with India as their subject have expressed concerns and even sued with regard to Samapth’s scholarship. His politics has eclipsed his job as historian and he is now only interested in glorifying or villfying figured based on their religion. It is influenced by post 2014 Hindutva politics, with an attempt to rewrite narratives that suit it.

[Kalyan Tirunahari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has made me travel to Seringapatnam and visit the Fort, Tipu Summer palace Dariya Daulat , the Mysore palace and museums and temples around the vicinity. Loved it thoroughly, Vikram has outdone his past books like Savarkar. This is truly a time travel book. Tipu is shown in the right light nothing more nothing less, an entitled monarch, a tyrant and a Radical Islamist unlike his shrewd father Haidar Ali.

[Nagesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book! It's a hitjob! It's an attempt at character assassination. It maligns Hyder Ali & Tipu Sultan. Nothing more. Author is a well-known right-winger. Don't fall for right wing supporters who are appreciating this book. They're masquerading as popular book reviewers with huge number of followers. This book is a waste of your hard-earned money.

[Krishna Bainsla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most authoritative book ever written on Tipu Sultan, meticulously researched and extremly citation dense it will be a miracle if anyone can outdo Dr Sampath's scholarship. From an ethnomusicologist to a biographer to a public intellectual Vikram has shown his steel

[Sriram Venugopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author has been extremely balanced in his approach of writing the history of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. Those who are interested in understanding the real history must read this book. It is a huge book but never once I felt bored.

[Ajay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most authoritative account on Tipu Sultan. Highly recommended.

[Shreyansh Thakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is nice scholarly writing that leaves no one out; it is open to anybody wanting to indulge a little into India's rich complexities. A fascinating study that anyone who would like to know about real Tipu Sultan, who lies beyond folk love and popular myths, would not want to miss is this book. It doesn't avoid his complexities; rather, it's a tribute to the historical rigor and an engrossing and true account of one of Mysore state's most hyped chieftains. For all these years, we had been espousing the Anglican perspective of Indian History written by Leftist Ideologue. This is the true image that this book reveals about the Tippu Sultan and ruled out his accomplice. Such snippets of Tipu's life will be revealed in this book, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Tipu and Haider Ali as well.