Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 24th June 2007, 06:27 AM

Hi Olikara,
Welcome to the forum, and thank you for posting on such an interesting topic! There have been a number of discussions concerning the weapons of Tipu over the years.

Tipu Sultan Shah Bahadur, although devoutly Muslim, was deeply influenced by the local Hindu cult of the patron martial goddess Chamundeshwari of Mysore, who rode a tiger. Tipu himself noted, "...it is better to live for a day as a tiger, than to live as a sheep for a lifetime", as he became known as the 'Tiger of Mysore'. He used the tiger motif lavishly on his personal items, and it is known his forces had uniforms with the bubri (tiger) stripes, and though certain weaponry such as cannon etc. often carried some degree of that motif, I do not believe the rank and file would have had such decorated weapons. The personal weapons of Tipu of course were afforded the lavish affectations that carried his personally adopted totem.

There are a number of weapons attributed to Tipu, and these are discussed and illustrated in, "Islamic Arms and Armour of Muslim India", Dr. S. Haider, 1991 ; "Indian Arms and Armour" Dr.G.N.Pant, New Delhi, 1980 and probably one of the most important, "Hindu Arms and Ritual", Dr. Robert Elgood , which offers key insight into the symbolism and tradition in the weapons of India within this sphere. Naturally the importance of regalia and items attributed to Tipu became increasingly popular after the famed battle of his defeat at Seringpatam in 1799, and later in the 19th century spurious weaponry was produced for anxious collectors.

While the tiger striping became a royal insignia for Tipu, it was not likely applied to weaponry associated with the armoury at Mysore. The Maharajah of Mysore was under Tipu's suzerainty and actually maintained control of the armoury there. It seems that weapons from that armoury typically are void of that particular motif, as far as I am aware. Therefore, I do not believe that Tipu's personal motif would have been loosely appointed outside regalia used by his own forces in general, with obviously the most decorative to his court and officers.

After the defeat in 1799, most of the best and historical weapons captured were presented as gifts to leading officers and regents, and carried back to England. Many of the remaining sundry pieces ended up in the Tanjore armoury, which was dispersed in 1878. While there were considerable numbers of representative weapons sold off, much of the weaponry was quite literally rusted scrap if I recall some very discouraging reading from some time ago.

If you will use the search feature here you will find some very interesting discussions concerning weapons from Mysore and of Tipu over a number of years. I think you will find them interesting, and most importantly, if possible, get hold of the Elgood book!!

All very best regards,
Jim

24th June 2007, 06:27 AM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,194	Hi Olikara, Welcome to the forum, and thank you for posting on such an interesting topic! There have been a number of discussions concerning the weapons of Tipu over the years. Tipu Sultan Shah Bahadur, although devoutly Muslim, was deeply influenced by the local Hindu cult of the patron martial goddess Chamundeshwari of Mysore, who rode a tiger. Tipu himself noted, "...it is better to live for a day as a tiger, than to live as a sheep for a lifetime", as he became known as the 'Tiger of Mysore'. He used the tiger motif lavishly on his personal items, and it is known his forces had uniforms with the bubri (tiger) stripes, and though certain weaponry such as cannon etc. often carried some degree of that motif, I do not believe the rank and file would have had such decorated weapons. The personal weapons of Tipu of course were afforded the lavish affectations that carried his personally adopted totem. There are a number of weapons attributed to Tipu, and these are discussed and illustrated in, "Islamic Arms and Armour of Muslim India", Dr. S. Haider, 1991 ; "Indian Arms and Armour" Dr.G.N.Pant, New Delhi, 1980 and probably one of the most important, "Hindu Arms and Ritual", Dr. Robert Elgood , which offers key insight into the symbolism and tradition in the weapons of India within this sphere. Naturally the importance of regalia and items attributed to Tipu became increasingly popular after the famed battle of his defeat at Seringpatam in 1799, and later in the 19th century spurious weaponry was produced for anxious collectors. While the tiger striping became a royal insignia for Tipu, it was not likely applied to weaponry associated with the armoury at Mysore. The Maharajah of Mysore was under Tipu's suzerainty and actually maintained control of the armoury there. It seems that weapons from that armoury typically are void of that particular motif, as far as I am aware. Therefore, I do not believe that Tipu's personal motif would have been loosely appointed outside regalia used by his own forces in general, with obviously the most decorative to his court and officers. After the defeat in 1799, most of the best and historical weapons captured were presented as gifts to leading officers and regents, and carried back to England. Many of the remaining sundry pieces ended up in the Tanjore armoury, which was dispersed in 1878. While there were considerable numbers of representative weapons sold off, much of the weaponry was quite literally rusted scrap if I recall some very discouraging reading from some time ago. If you will use the search feature here you will find some very interesting discussions concerning weapons from Mysore and of Tipu over a number of years. I think you will find them interesting, and most importantly, if possible, get hold of the Elgood book!! All very best regards, Jim