The told & untold history of Mysuru Kingdom

Research and author: Ameen Ahmed Background Much of what today is Tumakuru district was an integral part of the Mysore Kingdom during the reign of Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, just like their predecessors the Wodeyars. The Third Anglo Mysore War (1790-92) saw large scale invasion of Mysore Kingdom from all sides by the British, Marathas and the Hyderabad Nizam (1). Stretched and clearly unable to protect every inch of their territory, forces of Mysore Kingdom concentrated on protecting big towns and fortifications.  The Maratha Armies swept through the region and repeated on a mass scale what they had been doing to Kannadigas since Shivaji's burning and plundering of Karnataka's towns and markets in mid 17th century (2). This is a story of a small village in Tumakuru District whose brave men and women fought off a brutal army to save their lives, honour and property. The rampaging invaders   After taking Bengaluru pettah (pete) and the fort in March 1791 CE, a...

Research and author: Ameen Ahmed In today's India, the name Tipu Sultan brings with it a shrill debate, each time it is mentioned publicly. Tipu's detractors waste no time and leave no opportunity in highlighting sources, both contemporary and later, that seek to paint him as a bigot. Unfortunately this has, in the past three decades, taken the spotlight away from the purpose of his battles and perhaps his life- to fight the inhuman occupation by a non-native power. The British East India Company was not here in south Asia for a walk in the park. It was here to plunder the sub-continent's resources and take them back to Great Britain. And to achieve this, its soldiers indulged in loot, rape, murder and wanton destruction. The British Governments back then seemed to give a damn about the suffering and deaths of ordinary Indians. In this write-up, I try to highlight some of the miseries caused by British armies on the ordinary civilians of Karnataka (erstwhile Kingdom of Myso...

Introduction There is a belief in today's mainstream political discourse in India that the Maratha Empire favoured ' Hindu nationalism '. This essay highlights how  during their repeated invasions of Karnataka (Mysore Kingdom) in 17th and 18th centuries CE, Maratha soldiers committed sexual violence against Hindu Kannadiga women, after  having deliberately destroyed dozens of towns and temples . There was also an instance when the Peshwa Maratha camp purified its entire camp after a member of Maratha Army's Brahmin advisor near had a sexual intercourse with a married Dalit woman near Shivamogga (Shimoga), around  Jan. 3, 1792 when  the town was captured from Tipu Sultan's army.  'Sketch of the advanced guard of the Mahratta army, coming to join Earl Cornwallis, near Seringapatam 26th May 1791' (1).  Source : James Rennell, 1792, Downloaded from the website of Royal Collection Trust on Aug. 25, 2020    Witnessing the Maratha Emp...