Karnataka Elections: At Tipu Sultan's Birthplace, No One Cares About Propaganda

As BJP drums up politics around Tipu Sultan ahead of elections, here's what people have to say in his birthplace.

For as long as he can remember, Ghayas Pasha, 53, has been celebrating Tipu Jayanti every year, to mark the birth of his icon, Tipu Sultan. Besides the several accolades of the 18th-century ruler of the erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom, that Pasha has on his fingertips, what makes him feel such a strong sense of connection with the now-controversial ruler is that they share their birthplace: Devanahalli.

Devanahalli town falls in the Bengaluru Rural district, where the ruler was born on 10 November 1750. A memorial in honor of the town being Tipu’s birthplace can be spotted just a few kilometers into it.

For nearly a decade now, Tipu’s legacy has been questioned and maligned by the BJP, both in Karnataka as well as at a national level. With state elections now round the corner, the politics of terming Tipu an anti-Hindu tyrant has been drummed up further. But back at his birthplace, most are either indifferent to the noise or continue to be knee-deep in reverence for him.

'Tipu, Our Icon'

The previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government declared Tipu’s birth anniversary a state government programme back in 2015. Since then, the celebrations have almost annually been marked by protests from sections of the BJP, and have resulted in flashpoints and even violence in some districts like Kodagu, where two people died during the 2015 Jayanti. While the BJP scrapped the event Pasha says he has been caught up amid the protests multiple times, but that hasn’t stopped him from participating each year. “He is our leader, his contribution to this land is immense,” says Pasha.

But compared to other places, Devanahalli has mostly had a peaceful annual celebration of Tipu’s birth, given that the JD-S is more influential here. “The MLA usually ensures we (people celebrating Tipu Jayanti) get police protection,” Pasha says.

Devanahalli has multiple spots named after Tipu, including restaurants, shops and mosques.

In front of one such mosque, named after the leader, many feel revolted on the mention of the politicisation of Tipu’s name. “It’s merely a way of spreading hate between communities,” says Mohammed Wazir, the muezzin of the mosque. “Everyone here is fond of Tipu Sultan because they know his contribution all too well,” he adds.

Hindu Teacher Has Written Extensively In Tipu's Praise

It isn’t just Muslims, several Hindus living in the town too have great respect for the figure.  
 
Gurusiddaiah, 57, worked as a primary school teacher in Devanahalli for twenty years, before quitting in 2014 to become a full-time writer. Gurusiddaiah has published multiple books in Kannada language, on Karnataka’s history and politics, and he has written extensively about Tipu in his chapters. One chapter calls Tipu the ‘Fierce Nation Lover’.  

Unlike Pasha and others who believe Tipu could do no bad, Gurusiddaiah has a more nuanced view. He doesn’t paint Tipu as a saint, but says there is no point talking about him negatively now. “He was a ruler. In one sense, he was our ancestor. Do we criticise our grandparents after their demise? Even if they had faults, we don’t badmouth them, so we shouldn’t malign Tipu also,” he says.  

“In today’s day and age, people start cursing God if there’s a little more rainfall than what they like. People spare no one,” he says.  
 
Gurusiddaiah praised Tipu for being the first to fight the British using rocket technology in the wars. The BJP was recently slammed by historians for creating the narrative of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, two Vokkaliga chieftains, who apparently killed the 18th-century-ruler. “Vokkaliga seers have criticised the BJP for indulging in such myth-creation, so no one really falls for such politics,” says Gurusiddaiah.  

Tourists At Tipu's Fort, Indifferent To The Politics

The presence of a grand Devanahalli fort makes the town a tourist spot. The fort was originally built in mud during the Vijayanagara empire, but rebuilt in stone by Tipu’s father Hyder Ali, that was eventually passed down to him.

Most tourists are usually families from Bengaluru city who drive down for a day trip. However, when The Quint asked the tourists there if they knew of Tipu Sultan’s history, or even the current politicisation, they were largely unaware. “We just read about this fort on Google so came here. We don’t really know about the politics of it,” said one 37-year-old man from Bangalore visiting the fort with his family.

An NDTV-Lokniti-CSDS survey has found that only one in three voters are aware of the political battle over Tipu Sultan and only 29 per cent of those who know, feel raising the issue was justified.

This was reflected in a majority of the interactions that The Quint had with residents of Devanahalli.

"Tipu Didn't Break This Temple, Respected It"

A small town has, interestingly, developed inside the Devanahalli fort over the years. The town has homes, small shops, as well as multiple temples.

The Venugopalaswamy temple is one of the oldest and perhaps the most historically important one.

“The temple was built in the Vijayanagara empire period, and it became part of the Haider Ali and subsequently the Tipu Sultan empire,” says Vishwanath, a regular at the temple.

“But Tipu never destroyed this temple. In fact, he gave jewels to this temple, respected it,” he adds.

On whether he is aware of the political slugfest that often ensues in Tipu’s name, Vishwanath says he has heard things, but is mostly non-committal about his view on them. “History books taught us one thing while growing up, now WhatsApp forwards tell us something else. What can one say, it’s best to not get into this,” he says.

'Know Tipu's Truth From YouTube Videos'— Politics Seeping In

While most in the Devanahalli town may not be affected by the politicisation of Tipu, it isn’t as if the propaganda hasn’t seeped in at all. While older generations were mostly unaware or indifferent, some among the younger population did seem to have bought into it.

Anil, whose saree shop lies right in front of the inner wall of the fort, says he has “watched several videos which uncover Tipu’s truth.”

“He was called Tiger of Mysore because he hunted down Hindus. He isn’t the saint people have made him out to be. He was a fraud ruler,” says Anil. His friends, Puneet Kumar and Vinod Kalyan, also residents of Devanahalli say they agree with Anil.

The three friends say they don’t watch TV but mostly rely on YouTube videos to “gain truth.”

“We know that people here don’t know the truth about Tipu, but one day the truth will reach them,” says Anil.