"The causes of Tipu Sultan’s fall have been dealt with in some detail . . . among these causes all of which contributed to his fall, we may justly set down his hatred towards the worship of images which left a deep impression on the populace . . . the destruction by Tipu of Brahmapuri near Seringapatam and the raising of a mosque on the razed temple was such as cannot be forgotten by the generality of the Hindus . . . it may be said generally of Haidar that his religious faith as a Shiah—if the deduction drawn as to that is well founded—helped to alter his outlook. His Muslim troops proved, however different. A number of temples in South India invaded by them bear witness today of mutilated images. Tipu however, moved away from his father’s religious and political convictions, veering round more and more to the Sunni cult, which is more zealous in its views, particularly in the matter of the worship of images. However that may be and whatever the real causes, the fact cannot be gainsaid that Tipu proved a zealot and wrought incalculable injury to himself. He forgot that the worship of images was not merely a question of deep popular belief among the masses of the country but also one hallowed by ages of practice. He repeated the mistake of that other zealot Aurangzib [sic], of which he was guilty during his time."
Tipu Sultan

January 1, 1970