Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, is often celebrated in history books as a freedom fighter and the "Tiger of Mysore." He was the son of Hyder Ali, a Muslim military officer who became the king of Mysore after overthrowing the Hindu Wadiyar dynasty. But was Tipu Sultan truly a freedom fighter, or was he an Islamist ruler known for his tyranny?

In his latest book, 'Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore's Interregnum (1760–1799)', historian and author Dr. Vikram Sampath challenges the popular narratives about Tipu Sultan. Drawing on detailed research, Dr. Sampath explains Tipu’s actions against Hindus and Christians, including the destruction of temples, forced conversion to Islam, and what he describes as "religious genocide."

Dr Sampath, known for his two-volume biography of V.D. Savarkar and other notable works, discusses these controversial aspects of Tipu Sultan’s rule in this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash.

He also criticizes political parties for celebrating Tipu Jayanti, arguing that Tipu’s legacy includes the torture and slaughter of thousands of Hindus and Christians and that he should be remembered for these actions, not glorified.

Tune in to this episode to uncover the true history of Tipu Sultan and understand why he remains a figure of admiration in Pakistan and among its politicians.

00:00 - Introduction

02:10 - Why write a book on Tipu Sultan?

06:55 - Fire at the 'Sword of Tipu Sultan' set, 1989

09:50 - How did Vikram Learn Kannada

17:40 - Article on Mysore Dewans

22:21 - How long did the book research take?

29:45 - On Tipu Sultan's father, Hyder Ali

37:55 - How Hyder Ali overthrew the Wadiyars

48:05 - Tipu Sultan’s mother

56:35 - Naraka Chaturdashi Story

01:09:10 - Hyder Ali, a 'womanizer'

01:19:20 - Mass circumcision of 85,000 Kodavas (Coorgis)

01:25:30 - Was Tipu Sultan a freedom fighter?

01:34:10 - The first decade of Tipu's rule

01:45:40 - Shankaracharya's trick to save the Math

01:54:50 - The surrender of Tipu Sultan’s two sons

02:03:28 - The cannons of Tipu Sultan

02:08:20 - The reason behind writing the 984-page book

02:11:30 - Black magic