#tipustiger

अग्रेज भारत की 5 बेशकीमती चीजे, चोरी करके अपने देश ले गए हे। जिसकी कीमत आज अबजो रुपयों में हे।

Tipu’s Tiger, the mechanical musical toy constructed for the Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in South India from 1782-1799, has fascinated humanity for centuries, proving to be quite a controversial artefact.

Although many suggestions have been put forward, the Tiger remains cryptic; bearing no inscription or credible origin. When operated, the Tiger exposes the inner pipe organ as the twinned growls and groans of beast and man sound out of the object.

It is widely thought that the commission was inspired by the death of Briton, Hugh Munro; killed by a tiger in 1792, and whose father was a division commander during a battle in the Second Anglo-Mysore War, in which Tipu Sultan’s father was defeated. So not only a means by which to amuse his morbid humour, the Tiger can be ‘seen to represent symbolic retribution for this defeat’, and Tipu Sultan’s 'metaphorical expression of his political ambitions’ to triumph over the position of the British in India. In fact,  'Tiger of Mysore’ was his self proclaimed title, and according to the V&A, Tipu Sultan had quite a thing for tigers; 'tigers and symbols adorned most of his possessions…hand weapons decorated with gold tiger heads…live tigers were kept in the city and there were stories of prisoners thrown into the tiger pits.’

Interestingly, his morbid fantasy as an explanation for the nature of the toy  is supported by his own treatment of his British war prisoners between 1780-1784. He kept them imprisoned, subjecting them to humiliating and excruciating circumcisions; a rarity for Europeans and more commonly practised on Islam converts. Not that forced conversion seemed to be his ploy, rather Tipu Sultan’s belittling of British manhood is interpreted as a statement of personal violence.

For the ruler of Mysore, the Tiger mauling the man was a gruesome amusement, a symbol of his fantasies of victory; and being right in the midst of British extension of dominion in India, and inevitably, an arch enemy of and great threat to the East India Company, which was engaged in this enterprise, war between the company and the Mysore establishment became unavoidable. However, as the British killed him and stormed his palace,  during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799, Tipu Sultan’s beloved Tiger acquired new meanings, especially in Britain where it was brought back as plunder, becoming a museum artefact. It went on display in London’s East India House in 1808, where it remained until its transfer to the V&A in 1879.

The Tiger holds many different meanings for different people to this day. For some people in India now, British oppression and imperialism is associated with the Tiger, and Tipu is seen as a kind of freedom fighter or nationalist. And curiously, it has become a favourite exhibit of the museum in Britian; the bloodthirsty tiger, hungry to tear apart the European man - a symbol of hope of victory for India. 'It’s either a really twisted form of nationalism, or just goes to show you how powerful our love of gruesome curiosities really is.’

http://ridiculouslyinteresting.com/2013/07/23/tipus-tiger/

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tipus-tiger

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/tippoos-tiger/

An 18th Century automaton, perhaps something that we would refer to today as a mechanical toy/musical instrument, yet, according to Joseph Sramek, for Tipu the tiger striking down the European in the organ represented his symbolic triumph over the British.

 Tipu’s tiger reminded Tipu Sultan of himself, as his personal epithet was ‘The Tiger of Mysore’, his soldiers were dressed in 'tiger' jackets, his personal symbol invoked a tiger's face through clever use of calligraphy and the tiger motif is visible on his throne, and other objects in his personal possession, including Tipu's Tiger.

Due to Tipu Sultan being killed by the British as they stormed into his palace during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799, the troops bought back with them, this musical instrument, which was shipped over in 1800. The sculpture, which represents “a blood thirsty tiger ripping into the neck of a European man”, released a sense of fear in the British public of the tiger. As a result of this however, other countries bought tigers to England, in which the outlook on tigers changed to be used for entertainment in streets, something that is completely frowned upon in today’s society. 

However, the significance of this 18th century musical toy in the 21st century, is more of a fascination about learning its historical background, therefore acknowledging the Sultan and the Mysore’s war, which people may of never heard of before. It’s a unique way to begin look at the relationship between India and England and how things have changed in today’s foreign exchanges. 

Overall, throughout Tipu Sultan’s reign, what the tiger symbolised was a disputed matter, for example in Hinduism, the tiger is often viewed as powerful and strong, however in the tradition in which Sultan followed, the tiger meant something that was triumph his enemy, consequently, Tipu Sultan viewed his tiger as strong and trustworthy to overcome any rival, and as previously stated, his organ is meant to signify his triumph over the British.

Sources Used:

Walsh, Robin (1999). "Images - Tiger Motif". Seringapatam 1799: letters and journals of Lachlan Macquarie in India. McQuarrie University. Retrieved 19 July 2011.

Sramek, Joseph (Summer 2006). ""Face Him Like a Briton": Tiger Hunting, Imperialism, and British Masculinity in Colonial India, 1800-1875". http://ridiculouslyinteresting.com/2013/07/23/tipus-tiger/ 

   As early back as the Roman Empire, tigers were fought in the arena by gladiators for amusement and fame, an animal that shone with its strength. This view did not change in eighteenth century India where the Bengal tiger, the largest big cat, was native. As the British Empire expanded into India through the East India Company, Tipu Sultan of Mysore in South India refused to bow to the foreign invaders and a bloody conflict was waged between the two powers.

   Tipu's tiger as it is known is a wooden automaton that plays music; it is a very large Bengal tiger eating a red coated soldier, making a very clear statement. Tipu was rebellious from the start of his rule, refusing to bow to the British and denouncing the failing Mughal Empire, which was a shell of its former self, he was in constant conflict with his Northern neighbours.  The one European power he used was the French, hiring their engineers to modernize his defences and weaponry to stand up to the advanced British. Tipu’s Tiger has European organs, most likely French but it is not definitely known. This tiger was a symbol of resistance to the British, a tiger very rarely will attack a human unless cornered or forced to, Tipu in the South was in a way cornered and like the tiger he was ready to pounce. This instrument was yet another sign of rebellion, commissioned after Tipu defeated the British in a number of battles. In the Islam faith, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, who has names that translate to ‘the lion’ or ‘Lion of God’; Ali is seen as the universal model for heroism in Islam. Tipu viewed his fight as a fight for Islam against foreign encroaching powers, in Britain he was seen as a monster with a bad reputation from captured prisoners who were released and based upon his belief in the Islamic faith.

   After the final defeat and death of Tipu in 1799, which he died fighting bravely in his capital of Seringaptam, his palace was raided and the East India Company took the tiger which aroused great admiration and suspicion. The company publicly displayed this wooden instrument for a number of years until the company itself was dissolved and its belongings being placed under control of the Crown. Today the Tiger is on display at the Victoria and Albert museum. In modern opinions Tipu’s Tiger is seen by some as yet another indigenous people attempting to fight the rapid growth of Europe into new worlds and falling beneath their might.

   Today’s world is very much shaped by European hands as empires rose, conquered, and finally fell. With the fall of empires power vacuums emerged and turmoil still remain. Tipu was a Sultan who refused to bow to the European invaders who sought to force people to follow them; in the end his footprint on history is small yet not unknown.  Whatever Tipu’s impact on history, his Tiger will be on display for years to come.

 http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/tippoos-tiger/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bengal-tiger/