Skip to main content

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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEAN ARE NOT MIXED?

Nearly 72% of the earth is filled with water and it is present with different names- oceans, seas, rivers. Why are they named differently? There are five oceans namely Artic ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean and Antarctic ocean . All the oceans are different in their physical and biological character called ocean clines. When we look at the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean junction, they do not mix. Is there any invisible Wall in between them? Many scientists have conducted research to solve this mystery. The Atlantic and Pacific Ocean have different chemical composition. The salinity of the water in the Atlantic Ocean is five times more than the Pacific Ocean. The density of water is also different, so even marine animals in Atlantic Ocean will not go to the Pacific Ocean. They cannot survive in other oceans. Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Horn. The narrow straight line formed by the water bodies is called Drake Strait. The Pacific Ocean is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Chemical Lake

 Spotted Lake or Lake khiluk in Canada is richly concentrated with various minerals. It contains dense deposits of magnesium sulfate, calcium, and sodium sulfates. It also contains high concentrations of eight other minerals and lower amounts of silver and titanium. Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colorful mineral deposits. Large ‘spots’ on the lake appear and are colored according to the mineral composition and seasonal amount of precipitation. Magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer, is a major contributor to spot color.  Originally known to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley (Native American Tribe) as Khiluk, Spotted Lake was for centuries and remains revered as a sacred site thought to provide therapeutic waters. It is the most mineralized lake in the world. Each spot holds a different cure due to the unique chemical content found within each puddle. Lake Khiluk is considered a saline endorheic alkali lake. The Okanag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why some flowers bloom at night ?

Summer is known for its fields of wildflowers and flowering trees. All colours of pedals spread toward the sky. We have taken for granted that flowers bloom during the day, just like how summer is warm and grass grows. However, there are some flowers that defy the norm and do not go with the flow of following daylight hours. These flowers actually have a good reason for their particularly weird flower habits. The main purpose of flower blossoms is for the plant to spread their seeds. The flower attracts bees, the bees fly to another flower, and voila, the flower has spread its seeds. However, bees are not the only pollinators, even if they are the most famous.  “7 Insect Pollinators that Arendt Bees or Butterflies”, moths, mosquitos, beetles, and even ants share the credit for helping flowers flourish. Most pollinators roam only in daylight, leading most flowers to open up when the sun is out to fit their pollinators’ schedule. But not all pollinators like t...
Post a Comment
Read more