Friday, February 27, 2026

Tipu Sultan - the Tiger of Mysore

Tipu Sultan (20 November 1750 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the Indian ruler who resisted the East India Company’s conquest of southern India. Opinion in England considered him a vicious tyrant, while modern Indian nationalists hail him as a freedom fighter.

A flintlock blunderbuss, built for Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatna, 1793–94.

In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the combined forces of the British East India Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad defeated Tipu, and he was killed on 4 May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna.

Tipu's Tiger, c.1790. Made for the amusement of Sultan Tipu; the tiger has a miniature organ with keyboard and bellows to simulate the groans of a dying British officer.

Inscribed Sword of Tipu Sultan. Former liquor magnate Vijay Mallya bought the sword in 2004 but gave it away saying it brought him bad luck.

Cannon used by Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatna in 1799
A gem-set sword bearing the head of a tiger from the armoury of Tipu Sultan headlined a sale at Bonhams. The lot made £2.1m ($3.1m) when it crossed the block in 2014.

A gem-encrusted gold tiger finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan sold for £434,400.
Tipu Sultan ruled a vast swathe of southern India during the 18th century. He fought ferociously against the British East India Company, but was defeated.

'In this world I would rather live two days like a tiger, than two hundred years like a sheep.' - Tipu Sultan
A 3-pounder bronze cannon sold for £1.4m ($2.1m). A flintlock pistol with left-hand lock, made for Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam, dated AD 1797-98.

Inscription on the barrel reads: 'The peerless rifle of the Khusraw of India to which the forked lightning in second can seal the enemy's fate if his forehead is made the target.'
A two shot superimposed-load silver-mounted flintlock from the armoury of Tipu Sultan, dated AD 1793-94. A pair of silver-mounted Flintlock pistols with left and right-hand locks, made for Tipu Sultan, dated AD 1794-95. Sold For: £134,500

A Tipu Sultan sword fitted with a captured English blade.

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