Tipu Sultan and the Mysore Kingdom

The period of Mysore rule over Bengaluru lasted from 1758 to 1791 and was one of the most consequential eras in the history of the city. Within those thirty-three years, a mud fort was rebuilt in stone and a botanical garden of international significance was established. Bengaluru was transformed from a regional market town into a major administrative and military base of one of the most powerful kingdoms in South India.

The men responsible for this change, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, left a physical and institutional legacy that is still visible today. Their influence remains in the garden that Hyder Ali planted and Tipu Sultan expanded, in the fort gate where stone replaced mud defences, and in the administrative infrastructure that the British eventually found useful enough to maintain. The Mysore period was brief but transformative. Understanding it is essential to seeing why Bengaluru developed into a major city rather than the modest market town it might have remained.

Hyder Ali and the Capture of Bengaluru

Hyder Ali was not a king by birth but a military commander of extraordinary ability. He rose from a relatively modest background, as his father was a minor official in the Mysore army, to become the de facto ruler of the Mysore Kingdom. He achieved this through a combination of military success and political competence that few could match.

He captured Bengaluru from the forces of the Wadiyar Maharaja in 1758 because he recognised the strategic value of the city as a base for military campaigns. Bengaluru sits on the southern edge of the plateau and provides access to the passes leading to both the Malabar and Coromandel coasts. This position made it militarily significant in a way that its commercial value did not fully capture. Hyder Ali moved quickly to get the most utility from the city. He expanded markets, improved roads, built new fortifications, and established Lal Bagh in 1760. The garden followed the Persian and Mughal tradition but also included plants brought from military campaigns across the subcontinent.

Tipu Sultan and the Stone Fort

When Hyder Ali died in 1782 during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu Sultan inherited both the kingdom and the ongoing conflicts with the British East India Company. Tipu Sultan continued and accelerated the construction projects that his father had started. His most significant project in Bengaluru was rebuilding the city fort.

The original mud fort built by Kempe Gowda I in 1537 had been modified over two centuries but was ill-suited to withstand 18th-century artillery. Under the direction of Tipu Sultan, the fort was systematically rebuilt in stone and granite on a much larger scale. The walls and gateways were designed to withstand cannon fire and to mount artillery in response. The construction used granite quarried from the Bengaluru plateau and showed high quality workmanship. The Delhi Gate is the surviving entrance to the Bengaluru Fort and still stands near the Krishna Rajendra Market. Its structural solidity is a testament to the quality of Mysore-period construction.

The Expansion of Lal Bagh

Tipu Sultan expanded Lal Bagh significantly beyond the original 40 acres established by his father. He eventually brought the area to approximately 240 acres, which is the area it still covers today. He arranged for the import of plants from France, Persia, and Mauritius through contacts established by his diplomatic missions.

In 1787, his ambassadors to France returned with botanical specimens that added European plant species to the collection. This made Lal Bagh one of the few botanical gardens in 18th-century India with a genuinely international collection assembled through active diplomatic and commercial networks. The interest Tipu Sultan had in horticulture was part of a broader intellectual engagement with the sciences. This same curiosity led him to experiment with military rocketry and maintain contact with the Ottoman Empire and revolutionary France. His additions transformed Lal Bagh from a pleasure garden into a scientific collection.

Administrative Legacy in Bengaluru

Beyond the fort and the garden, the administration of Tipu Sultan left other traces. He reorganised the administrative structure of the city by introducing a system of revenue collection and governance that drew on Mughal practices and his own innovations.

He maintained active markets and encouraged trade along routes connecting Bengaluru to coastal ports. Coins from his mint circulated widely through the markets of the city. He also expanded the water infrastructure that had been part of the city since the founding by Kempe Gowda. He ensured that the tanks and channels that supplied the city continued to function properly. Administrative records from the Mysore period provide a detailed picture of a well-organised city with active commerce and a diverse population. This was the city that British forces encountered when they breached the walls of the fort in March 1791.

The Fall of Bengaluru to British Forces

The Third Anglo-Mysore War brought British forces led by General Charles Cornwallis to the walls of Bengaluru in March 1791. The city was taken after a siege that lasted several days. Portions of the fort were breached by artillery fire directed against the walls that Tipu Sultan had recently reinforced.

Tipu Sultan was not present in the city during the siege and was eventually compelled to cede the city and several other territories to the British in 1792. While he recovered the city briefly in the years that followed, the momentum had shifted. Tipu Sultan died eight years later at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799. This marked the end of Mysore independence and the beginning of the British period in Bengaluru. The stone fort, the garden, and the administrative infrastructure all passed into British hands. Lal Bagh became the jewel of British botanical science while the fort gradually fell into disuse.

What Survives of the Mysore Period

The physical evidence of the Mysore period in Bengaluru is concentrated in two main sites which are Lal Bagh Botanical Garden and the remnant of the Bengaluru Fort. Lal Bagh is a 265-year-old institution that still operates on the land chosen by Hyder Ali in 1760. Some plants descended from the original international collection of Tipu Sultan are still growing within its boundaries.

The Delhi Gate of the Bengaluru Fort stands near the Krishna Rajendra Market and is one of the most significant surviving structures from that time. The ornamental brickwork and arched openings of the gate are consistent with late 18th-century Mysore construction standards. Another significant site is the Tipu Sultan Summer Palace, which is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture made mostly of teak wood.

Tipu Sultan in Historical Memory

Tipu Sultan remains a figure of genuine historical complexity in Karnataka and across India. His military resistance to British expansion has made him a symbol of anti-colonial nationalism for some. His treatment of various groups in areas under his control has made him a figure of criticism for others.

The historical record is complex and does not support simple conclusions. However, it is clear that his thirty-three years of engagement with Bengaluru transformed the city. The rulers who followed him found his work valuable enough to preserve and build upon. The garden he expanded and the fort he built in stone are durable legacies that define the historical character of the city today.