The Roar of Tippoo’s Tiger
By: Arts Angle
Tags: Art, Indian, Freedom, History, British

[Popular Feature]

The tiger snarled and roared at the man lying helplessly under, groaning and moaning in great pain. The eerie and gruesome sounds surcharged the atmosphere. The magnificent pillared hall reverberated with strange echoes.

The act in itself, which must have lasted only for a few minutes, nevertheless generated a feeling of intensity among the spectators specially invited to witness the last act. The show had put an end to the roar of the tiger and the moans of the man.

Some in the gathering, who had witnessed the acts earlier, however felt that over the years the roar and the moan had grown relatively feeble. The BBC team who were covering the event were rather disappointed by the poor sound effects.

The earlier recordings with better effects in possession of some private individuals, ultimately came to the rescue of the television team. The last act was finally televised by BBC on July 6 this year(1990) in the evening programme.

The occasion was of great significance as the automaton, popularly known as ‘Tippoo’s Tiger’, which has been adorning the gallery of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as a prime attraction for the past few decades was to perform for the last time.

The near life-size model of Tippoo’s Tiger is a construction in wood. The stylized stripes painted in conventional colours of red and black. The craftsman, whoever he was, has cleverly provided vents, by carving out openings on the upper part of the neck of the tiger, to enable the sounds to escape.

The striped tiger motifs known as duéris, artistically camouflage the hole. The ferocity of the tiger, the pink face of the struggling victim in red uniform, indicates a very realistic approach and an accurate rendering of the concept.

The exhibit is highly symbolic. The tiger mauling a soldier represents Tippoo Sultan’s initial successes over English hegemony. The fallen soldier under the clutches of the tiger signifies the temporary downfall of the English power in Mysore.

Set against the 18th century background and in the context of the historical perspective, Tippoo’s Tiger was more than a mere wooden contraption. Fitted with a miniature organ with a keyboard and bellows specially designed to simulate the roar of the tiger and the groans of the man, it could be considered as an ingenious piece of workmanship.

It is possible that Tippoo Sultan, who was well known for his fertile imagination, thought of this concept and persuaded his friends in the French army to fix the technical devices. Thus, with the turn of the key, the automaton went into action. It is believed to have been in full operation around 1789 AD in Tippoo Sultan’s palace in Srirangapatna.

It must have been an endless source of entertainment to the members of the royal family and the courtiers. At a time when anti-English feelings were widespread and were at its peak, the ferocious acts of Tippoo’s Tiger presumably sent one and all connected with the Sultanate into raptures.

In due course, the repeated operation made the automaton very fragile. Hence, the decision of the museum authorities to elevate it to the status of a treasured exhibit after its final performance.

Tippoo Sultan’s association with the tiger goes beyond the creation of the automaton. One is given to understand that as a boy he had an occasion to confront, struggle and slay a tiger.

The tiger, though vanquished by him, had made such a great impact on him by its valour, strength and agility that Tippoo Sultan had adopted the tiger as the royal emblem. Soon the tiger stripes began to appear everywhere.

When he took over as the Sultan of Mysore, he had plunged into vigorous activity, involving the building of palaces, forts, mosques and laying of gardens. ‘This necessitated commissioning of artists and artisans to work on these various architectural monuments.

Bubris and other tiger motifs being a great obsession of Tippoo Sultan, they found their way into textile designs, manuscripts, prints, elaborate jewellery, arms and armour. They also formed part of the wall decorations and ornamentation in palaces and mosques.

The fame and popularity of Tippoo’s Tiger has spread so far and wide that in course of time it has infiltrated into the folklore of distant regions. One can easily identify the various version of the legend; one of which became the central theme of the novel titled Dannanayakana Kote by E.Balakrishna Naidu in Tamil. The fascination and thrill of the novel was so compelling that Shri Mathoor Krishnamurthi undertook to translate the book into Kannada.

This theme has also attracted research workers who have been making an in depth study of the subject. Anne Buddle, the Registrar of Victoria and Albert Museum, it is said, has spent almost a decade in research, concentrating on the decorative arts and surviving evidence of Tippoo’s court in his island capital at Srirangapatna.

After the siege of Srirangapatna and the fall of Tippoo Sultan during the last Mysore War, Tippoo’s Tiger along with the rest of the booty was carried away by the conquerors. Over a period of time, Victoria and Albert Museum was able to acquire this collection and put it on display.

On display along with the automaton is a plaque in an oval shape with a beautiful profile of Tippoo Sultan painted in water colour on ivory. It is ascribed to the last quarter of the 18th century. Done by an unknown artist, it reveals certain traits very commonly met with in the later versions of the Mughal miniatures.

Another interesting exhibit is the Sword of Tippoo Sultan. Long and a well-made weapon in steel, overlaid with decorative designs in gold, within a rectangular panel is inscribed the name of Tippoo Sultan.

Also on display is the gold watch believed to have been found on the person of Tippoo. According to the inscription at the back, it was handed over to Lt.R.McDowell on May 4, 1799. Subsequently, it is said to have passed on to his daughter who was married to Colonel E.F. Waterman of Madras Staff Corps.

On her special request, the Colonel has presented it to the Indian Museum, from where it finally landed in Victoria and Albert Museum. The watch bears a London hallmark with inscription which reads: “Elliot, London’.

A gold broach set with diamonds and turquoise of European workmanship, made between 1830–1840 AD has also relevance to the fall of Tippoo. It is believed that the diamonds and the turquoise originally formed part of decorations of Tippoo’s turban.

One is given to understand that they were collected by one of the officers who had participated in the siege of Srirangapatna. Later, they were made into a broach and a necklace for his daughters. According to the information furnished about the exhibit, the possibility of these being part of the loot of the royal treasury cannot be ruled out.

A brass mount of the largest section around a telescope bears the inscription “Colonel Tippoo Sahib at Sringapatam, May 4 1799”! Covered by brass and wood, the leather strap also has ‘Ramsden, London engraved as makers of the watch.

Among the exhibits is a sleck, elegant walking stick which belonged to Tippoo Sultan with a repousse gold handle, silver ferrule and steel tip. It is made of Malacca cane in the 18th century.

A silver medal struck to commemorate the sad fall of Tippoo Sultan in Srirangapatna in 1799 was presented by J.O Malley. Embossed on the obverse is a lion attacking a tiger and over powering it, meant to symbolically the victory of the British and fall of Tippoo the Tiger.

An inscription in Arabic refers to this as “victorious lion of god”. The reverse shows a view of Srirangapatna with an inscription in Persian stating that “God delivered Seringapatam”

These, along with 33,000-odd objects, in very good state of preservation, will form part of the Nehru Gallery of Indian Art 1550–1900, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, opening in November, 1990.