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Tipu's Tiger

Tipu Sultan was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799. He was Sultan Hyder Ali's eldest son. He is also called the 'Tiger of Mysore'.

Once when Tipu Sultan and his friend went hunting, a tiger came suddenly and attacked. The tiger pounced on his friend and was killed. After he saw his friend was killed, he tried to kill the tiger with his gun but it didn't work and the dagger he had, fell to the ground. The tiger pounced on him and was about to maul him. He reached for the dagger from the ground and with a swift move ended the life of the tiger. Hence he got the title.
The tiger became his emblem and used a tiger's imagery on his flag as a symbol of his power and strength. 

When the British colonized India, Tipu Sultan created a mechanical toy to express his hatred for the East India Company. The toy is a life-sized wooden semi-automaton, consisting of a tiger pounced on a European soldier laying on his back. He built it in such a way that it looked like the tiger was him and his power attacking the soldier. Hence the toy is called 'Tipu's Tiger'. The tiger's arm has a lever which when triggered, creates movement in the man's arm and lets out a voice of extreme pain from the pipes used in the man's throat. Another mechanism in the tiger lets out a growling noise from the pipes used in the tiger's throat resembling that of a tiger creating fear.
When Tipu Sultan got killed in the fight, his treasures and priced items were distributed among the British soldiers. In that process, the toy was found and shipped to London, to display in the East Indian Company Museum. It is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum.


Credits: Harini

Comments

  1. Unknown16 May 2021 at 04:35

    Effort should be made to bring that to Tipus palace in Mysore

    ReplyDelete

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