Museum - Srirangapatna

Museum - Srirangapatna
Tipu Sultan Museum, Srirangapatna
(District Mandiya, Karnataka)
The Daria Daulat Bagh, which is an ancient monument of national importance, houses the museum. The museum exhibits confined to the ground floor of the palace and mostly pertaining to Tipu Sultan, consists of oil paintings, pencil sketches, aquatints and engravings, coins and medals, costumes, furniture, arms, etc.

The storming of ‘Seringapatam’ an oil painting by Sir Robert Ker Porter in 1800 is one of the great historical paintings depicting the final capture of Srirangapatna on 4th May 1799. Many English officers like General Baird, Sgt. Graham, Col. Dunlop are featured in it. Tipu’s men are on the bridge offering stiff resistance. In the back ground behind the fort walls are part of Tipu’s palace, the minarets of the mosque and the gopura of the Ranganatha Swami temple.

A portrait of Tipu Sultan depicts him wearing a turban, a striped shirt. A necklace, a girth belt and a stone-studded cross belt to which is attached a sword. The artist was G.F. Cherry who painted it in 1792. Another full portrait of Tipu Sultan as prince painted by John Zoffany in 1780is on display.

Another historical painting by Robert Home, painted between 1792-95 depicts Tipu’s sons Abdul Khaliq and Maizuddin, the hostage princes with Ghulam Ali Khan, the Vakil of Tipu who is shown seated in a carrying chair and in the background an Englishman, most probably, Captain Kennaway the personal secretary to Lord Cornwallis is shown as having a discussion with Ali Raza Khan another Vakil of Tipu holding a treaty document.

There are eighteen pencil sketches on display and among them are those of the seven sons of Tipu Sultan Fateh Haider, Abdul Khaliq, Maizuddin, Mohiuddin, Yasin Sahib, Sultan Sahib and Shukrullah his Vakils ghulam Ali Khan and Ali Raza Khan – Commanders Ghulam Ali Khan, Badruz Zaman Khan, Sheikh Hussain, his companion and confidential servant Raja Khan and the senior door keeper Firuz Saut. Also on display are the sketches of Mir Alam, Minister of Nizam, his son Mir Dauran, Krishna Raja Wodeyar III and his maternal uncle, Nandi Raja. These portrait sketches were drawn by Thomas Hickey the English artist, between 1799-1801 in Srirangapatna and Vellore.

Some of the soldiers of the East India Company were talented artists who drew views of forts, buildings and scenery as seen from their encampments. The pictures drawn on spots were later used for making engravings and aquatints so that a large number of copies were made. Two copies of engravings, ‘Cornwallis receiving the hostage princes’ and the ‘last effort of Tipu Sultan’ in defense of Srirangapatna besides many aquatints depicting the various forts of Tipu Sultan.

Coins of various denominations on view include Double paisa, Paisa, Half paisa, Quarter paisa and One-eighth paisa issued by Tipu Sultan from different mints at Bangalore, Calicut, Chitaldurg, Dindigul, Gooty and Srirangapatna. Madals of different metals like silver, copper and bronze issued by the English, commemorating their victory over Tipu are also exhibited.

Among the other exhibits mention may be made the costume of Tipu, a payjama, a silk coat and a straw hat, two silver bowels presented by him to the Ranganathaswami temple, a hand made paper manuscript in Persian dealing with the military code of regulations, furniture comprising of chairs, sofa with backrest, couch and a rosewood roundtable, a brass cannon, daggers, swords, pistols and muskets besides iron cannons.