Tipu Sultan: The Tiger of the South

Tipu Sultan, was the last ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. In the late 1700s he was one of the most powerful sovereigns in South India, and hence was a significant threat to Britain - which was trying to consolidate power in India at the time. 

They declared war on him many times - finally defeating him in 1799 and killing him while storming his fortress. His demise was followed by weeks of plundering his palace and vaults. The most precious items were taken for the directors of the East India company and the Royal family - and are still primarily owned by the British, even today. 

One of his only jewelry pieces found that is still completely in it's original form was his navratna pendant featuring a 38 carat emerald- he strongly believed in varying his gemstones to align with the movement of the planets. 

My favorite piece perhaps is the recovered golden tiger's head finial- one of the eight that sat on the posts of his octagonal throne. Set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds, it is one of the few properly preserved pieces of South Indian goldsmith's work from the 1700s. 

What I find fascinating about Tipu Sultan is how every object in his court - from his weapons, to the handle of his cane, to every inch of his enormous throne was bejewelled with the same intricacy we see on our most treasured pieces of jewelry today. 

One particularly beautiful and perplexing item found was his magic box - a golden 20 sided polyhedron with numbers believed to represent ancient Greek mathematical calculations. Scholars still haven't been able to decode it fully. 

Objects from his collection are said to have influenced many prolific authors - from Dickens to Keats. Fitting that he once declared, "better to live one day as a tiger than 1,000 years as a sheep."