Editing Tipu Sultan (section)

===Religious policy===

On a personal level, Tipu was a devout Muslim, saying his prayers daily and paying special attention to mosques in the area.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 4397149|title = Tipu Sultan: Giving 'The Devil' His Due|journal = Economic and Political Weekly|volume = 25|issue = 52|pages = 2835–2837|last1 = Yadav|first1 = Bhupendra|year = 1990}}</ref> Regular endowments were made during this period to about 156 Hindu temples,<ref name="chetty2">A. Subbaraya Chetty "Tipu's endowments to Hindus and Hindu institutions" in [[#Confronting|''Confronting Colonialism'']]</ref> including the famed [[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna|Ranganathaswami Temple]] at [[Srirangapatna]].<ref name="pande">{{cite book|title=Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan: Evaluation of Their Religious Policies|last=Pande |first=B. N. |publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|year=1996|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FgbXAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9788185220383}}</ref> Many sources mention the appointment of Hindu officers in Tipu's administration{{sfn|Hasan|2005|pp=357–358}} and his land grants and endowments to Hindu temples,<ref name="padiga3">[[#Confronting|''Confronting Colonialism'']], p. 118</ref><ref name="A. Subbaraya Chetty 2002">A. Subbaraya Chetty, "Tipu's endowments to Hindus", pp. 111–115 in [[#Confronting|''Confronting Colonialism'']].</ref>{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=360}} which are cited as evidence for his religious tolerance.

His religious legacy has become a source of considerable controversy in India, with some groups (including Christians<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMoP4lsmGXoC&pg=PA30|title=The Chaldean Syrian Church of the East|publisher=ISPCK|page=30|year=1983}}</ref> and even Muslims) proclaiming him a great warrior for the faith or ''Ghazi''{{sfn|Brittlebank|1999|pp=1-3}}<ref name="rpersecutor1">{{Cite book | last = Valath | first = V. V. K. | title = Keralathile Sthacharithrangal&nbsp;– Thrissur Jilla | year = 1981 | publisher = Kerala Sahithya Academy | language = ml | pages = 74–79}}</ref> for both religious and political reasons.<ref name="pande"/> Various sources describe the massacres,<ref>{{cite book|title=Tipu Sultan: Villain Or Hero? : an Anthology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bk5uAAAAMAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Voice of India|isbn=978-81-85990-08-8|last1=Goel|first1=Sita Ram}}</ref> imprisonment<ref name="acc">{{Citation
 |last= Farias
 |first= Kranti K.
 |title= The Christian Impact on South Kanara
 |year= 1999|page=76
 |publisher= Church History Association of India
 }}</ref> and forced conversion<ref name=cariappa>{{citation |last1=Cariappa |first1=M. P. |last2=Cariappa |first2=Ponnamma |title=The Coorgs and their Origins |publisher=Aakar Books |year=1981 |oclc=641505186|page=48}}</ref> of Hindus ([[Captivity of Kodavas at Seringapatam|Kodavas of Coorg]], [[Captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam|Nairs of Malabar]]) and Christians ([[Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam|Catholics of Mangalore]]), the destruction of churches<ref name="Lobo2">[https://archive.today/20140829175532/http://portal.kinnigoli.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28:sarasvatis-chi. Sarasvati's Children] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206081443/https://archive.today/20140829175532/http://portal.kinnigoli.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28:sarasvatis-chi. |date=6 December 2022 }}, Joe Lobo</ref> and temples, and the clamping down on Muslims ([[Mappila|Mappila of Kerala]], the [[Mahdavia]] Muslims, the [[Savanur State|rulers of Savanur]] and the people of [[Hyderabad State]]), which are sometimes cited as evidence for his intolerance.

====British accounts====
Historians such as Brittlebank, Hasan, Chetty, Habib, and Saletare, amongst others, argue that controversial stories of Tipu Sultan's religious persecution of Hindus and Christians are largely derived from the work of early British authors (who were very much against Tipu Sultan's independence and harboured prejudice against the Sultan) such as [[James Achilles Kirkpatrick|James Kirkpatrick]]<ref>Kirkpatrick, W. (1811)  [https://archive.org/details/selectlettersoft00tipu ''Select Letters of Tipu Sultan''], London</ref> and [[Mark Wilks]],<ref>Wilks, M. (1930) ''Report on the Interior Administration, Resources and Expenditure of the Government of Mysore under the System prescribed by the Order of the Governor-General in Council dated 4 September 1799'', Bangalore 1864, and ''Historical Sketches of the South of India in an Attempt to Trace the History of Mysore'', 2 vols, ed. M. Hammick, Mysore.</ref> whom they do not consider to be entirely reliable and likely fabricated.<ref name="habib"/> A. S. Chetty argues that Wilks' account in particular cannot be trusted.<ref name="chetty111">A. Subbaraya Chetty "Tipu's endowments to Hindus and Hindu institutions", p. 111 in [[#Confronting|''Confronting Colonialism'']]</ref>

[[Irfan Habib]] and Mohibbul Hasan argue that these early British authors had a strong vested interest in presenting Tipu Sultan as a tyrant from whom the British had liberated Mysore.<ref name="habib">Habib, Irfan (2001). "War and Peace. Tipu Sultan's Account of the last Phase of the Second War with the English, 1783-4", p. 5 in ''State and Diplomacy Under Tipu Sultan: Documents and Essays'', Manohar Publishers and Distributors, {{ISBN|81-85229-52-X}}</ref>{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=368}} This assessment is echoed by Brittlebank in her recent work where she writes that Wilks and Kirkpatrick must be used with particular care as both authors had taken part in the wars against Tipu Sultan and were closely connected to the administrations of [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]] and [[Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley]].{{sfn|Brittlebank|1999|pp=2–12}}

====Relations with Hindus====
Tipu Sultan's treasurer was Krishna Rao, [[Shamaiya Iyengar]] was his Minister of Post and Police, his brother Ranga Iyengar was also an officer, and [[Purnaiah|Purnaiya]] held the very important post of "Mir Asaf". Moolchand and Sujan Rai were his chief agents at the Mughal court, and his chief "Peshkar", Suba Rao, was also a Hindu.{{sfn|Hasan|2005|pp=357–358}}

The Editor of Mysore Gazette reports of correspondence between his court and temples, and his having donated jewellery and deeded land grants to several temples, which he was compelled to for forming alliances with Hindu rulers. Between 1782 and 1799 Tipu Sultan issued 34 "Sanads" (deeds) of endowment to temples in his domain, while also presenting many of them with gifts of silver and gold plate.{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=360}}

The Srikanteswara Temple in Nanjangud still possesses a jeweled cup presented by the Sultan.<ref name="A. Subbaraya Chetty 2002"/> He also gave a greenish [[linga]]; to Ranganatha temple at Srirangapatna, he donated seven silver cups and a silver [[camphor]] burner. This temple was hardly a stone's throw from his palace from where he would listen with equal respect to the ringing of temple bells and the [[muezzin]]'s call from the mosque; to the [[Lakshmikanta Temple, Kalale|Lakshmikanta Temple]] at [[Kalale]] he gifted four cups, a plate and [[Spitoon]] in silver.<ref name="padiga3"/>{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=360}}

During the [[Maratha–Mysore War]] in 1791, a group of [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] horsemen under Raghunath Rao Patwardhan raided the temple and ''matha'' of [[Sringeri]] ''[[Shankaracharya]]''. They wounded and killed many people, including Brahmins, plundered the monastery of all its valuable possessions, and desecrated the temple by displacing the image of goddess Sarada.{{sfn|Hasan|2005|pp=357–358}}

The incumbent ''Shankaracharya'' petitioned Tipu Sultan for help. About 30 letters written in [[Kannada]], which were exchanged between Tipu Sultan's court and the [[Sringeri]] [[Shankaracharya]], were discovered in 1916 by the Director of Archaeology in [[Mysore]]. Tipu Sultan expressed his indignation and grief at the news of the raid:{{sfn|Hasan|2005|pp=357–358}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/bO9Ma9Sb2g4aUvIUT29fCP/Why-we-love-to-hate-Tipu-Sultan.html|title=Why we love to hate Tipu Sultan|last=Sampath |first=Vikram |work=livemint.com|date=31 January 2014}}</ref>

<blockquote>"People who have sinned against such a holy place are sure to suffer the consequences of their misdeeds at no distant date in this Kali age in accordance with the verse: "Hasadbhih kriyate karma rudadbhir-anubhuyate" (People do [evil] deeds smilingly but suffer the consequences crying)."<ref>''Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological Department'' 1916 pp&nbsp;10–11, 73–6</ref> </blockquote>

He immediately ordered the Asaf of [[Bednur]] to supply the Swami with 200 ''rahati''s (''[[Travancore Fanam|fanam]]''s) in cash and other gifts and articles. Tipu Sultan's interest in the Sringeri temple continued for many years, and he was still writing to the Swami in the 1790s.{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=359}}

In light of this and other events, historian B. A. Saletare has described Tipu Sultan as a defender of the Hindu [[dharma]], who also patronised other temples including one at Melkote, for which he issued a Kannada decree that the Shrivaishnava invocatory verses there should be recited in the traditional form.<ref name='tipu defender of Hindu faith'>Saletare, B.A. "Tipu Sultan as Defender of the Hindu Dharma", pp. 116–8 in [[#Confronting|''Confronting Colonialism'']]</ref> The temple at Melkote still has gold and silver vessels with inscriptions indicating that they were presented by the Sultan. Tipu Sultan also presented four silver cups to the Lakshmikanta Temple at Kalale.<ref name='tipu defender of Hindu faith'/> Tipu Sultan does seem to have repossessed unauthorised grants of land made to [[Brahmin]]s and temples, but those which had proper ''sanads'' (certificates) were not. It was a normal practice for any ruler, Muslim or Hindu, on his accession or on the conquest of new territory.

====Persecution of Hindus in Melkote ====

Tipu killed 1200+ Iyengar Brahmins in Melkote, as part of his military campaign against the Wodeyars of Mysore and the Marathas. The Hindu Iyengar Brahmins, who were closely associated with the Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple in Melkote, were targeted during this attack.

The town of Melkote in Karnataka has stopped celebrating Deepavali as a mark of mourning for the massacre of Hindu Iyengar Brahmins carried out by Tipu Sultan's forces.

====Persecution of Kodavas outside Mysore====
{{Main|Captivity of Kodavas at Seringapatam}}<!--
The battles between Kodavas and Tipu Sultan is one of the most bitter rivalries in South India. There were repeated attempts to capture Kodagu by the sultan and his father [[Hyder Ali]] before him. The primary reason for Sultan's interest in Kodagu was that annexing Kodagu would provide access to Mangalore port. The Kodavas knew their lands and mountains very well which made them excellent at guerrilla warfare. Kodavas were outnumbered 3 to 1 in most of Tipu's attempts to annex Kodagu but they managed to beat back Tipu most of the times by drawing his army towards hilly regions of their land. On few occasions Tipu's army managed to reach Madikeri (Capital of Kodagu) but the Kodavas always ambushed the contingent left behind by Tipu. Kodavas refusal to bow to the sultan was primarily because throughout their history they enjoyed independence, though there were Rajahs ruling over them, governance of the land mainly rested with Kodavas. After capturing Kodagu on another occasion, Tipu proclaimed, "If you ever dare to ambush my men again, I will honor everyone of you with Islam", undeterred, the resilient Kodavas ambushed his men yet again and drove them back to Mysore. By now Tipu realised conventional warfare would never yield him Kodagu. He devised a plan to annex Kodagu by offering his friendship. His offer of friendship was welcomed by Kodavas as the battles with the Sultan over the years had cost them dearly. When Kodavas welcomed Sultan to their land in the name of friendship, the Sultan and his men attacked them and took thousands as prisoners. -->
Tipu got Runmust Khan, the ''[[Kurnool|Nawab of Kurnool]]'', to launch a surprise attack upon the [[Kodava people|Kodavas]] who were besieged by the invading Muslim army. 500 were killed and over 40,000 Kodavas fled to the woods and concealed themselves in the mountains.{{sfn|Prabhu|1999|p=223}} Thousands of Kodavas were seized along with the Raja and held captive at Seringapatam.<ref name=cariappa/>

Mohibbul Hasan, Prof. Sheikh Ali, and other historians cast great doubt on the scale of the deportations and forced conversions in Coorg in particular. Hassan says that it is difficult to estimate the real number of [[Kodava people|Kodava]] captured by Tipu.{{sfn|Hasan|2005|p=79}}

In a letter to Runmust Khan, Tipu himself stated:<ref>{{Cite book
|last=Sen
|first=Surendranath
|title=Studies in Indian history
|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.511908
|publisher=University of Calcutta
|year=1930|page=157
}}</ref> 
{{blockquote|"We proceeded with the utmost speed, and, at once, made prisoners of 40,000 occasion-seeking and sedition-exciting [[Kodava people|Kodavas]], who alarmed at the approach of our victorious army, had slunk into woods, and concealed themselves in lofty mountains, inaccessible even to birds. Then carrying them away from their native country (the native place of sedition) we raised them to the honour of Islam, and incorporated them into our Ahmedy corps."
<ref>{{cite book|last=Sultan|first=Tipu|title=Select letters of Tippoo Sultan to various public functionaries|publisher=Black|year=1811|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/selectlettersoft00tipu/page/228 228]|url=https://archive.org/details/selectlettersoft00tipu}}</ref>}}