"There was no limit as to the loss the Hindu temples suffered due to the military operations of Tipu Sultan. Burning down the temples, destruction of the idols installed therein and also cutting the heads of cattle over the temple deities were the cruel entertainments of Tipu Sultan and his equally cruel army. It was heartrending even to imagine the destruction caused by Tipu Sultan in the famous ancient temples of Thalipparampu and Thrichambaram. The devastation caused by this new Ravana's barbarous activities have not yet been fully rectified."

"Chokkoor Sreerama Kshethra was demolished during the time of Tipu's invasion and again during the Moplah riots (...).Tipu's army entered through the Thamarassery mountain pass, killed as many Hindus as they could, terming them as Kafirs, destroyed the temples all the way and spared only those Hindus who were willing to accept Islam. They demolished nearby temples like Kulikkapra Siva Temple, Kuzhikalaattu Siva Temple, Pongattur Subrahmanya Temple near to Manipuram, etc., and reached Chokkoor Srirama Temple."

"The swords made in India were prized all over the world. The sword of Tipu Sultan is almost a legend. These facts have rarely been mentioned or brought to the notice in the publications on history of metallurgy (of iron)"

"Tipu Sultan, in south India, engaged in the most systematic endeavours for securing forcible conversions that could be imagined."

"All his measures including renaming his government as some kind of a divine endowment or reorganizing his army into ilahi or Ahmadi consisting of slaves or chelas were both military and Islamic in tone . . . Tipu basically belonged to that class of rulers who could be classified as feudal autocratic. To him, visible evidences of personal loyalty and security of his regional hegemony were extremely meaningful . . . we have reports of Tipu’s wanton cruelty . . . Tipu was a regnant ruler keenly conscious of personal prestige and dignity, but could not command loyalty from his own officers . . . most probably, Tipu was more feared than respected or loved by his subjects . . . admittedly, Tipu appointed Hindus to positions of trust and responsibility as indeed did the Mughals and other regional Muslim rulers. It is however doubtful that appointment of Hindus to responsible posts followed any principle other than sheer common sense . . . It is time we arrived at a reasonably realistic assessment of Tipu Sultan. If it is fair to maintain that Tipu was an energetic, assiduous, and industrious ruler and an immensely brave soldier, it is also reasonable to consider reports of his haughtiness and hubris. Despite many adulatory assessments, it is quite obvious on the basis of several eyewitness accounts that Tipu, fed by the flattery of his sycophants, came to believe that he was the greatest prince of Hindustan, if not of the world. This benighted narcissism rendered him deaf to any admonition from his well-wishers and led to his ultimate nemesis . . . Yet, we must recognize with the benefit of hindsight the crucial role Tipu Sultan played in the history of English imperialism in the subcontinent. He proved himself to be a worthy adversary who for a short period of time made his formidable presence felt in the declining decades of Mughal India."

"Tipu destroyed at least three Hindu temples: the Harihareswara temple at Harihar, the Varahaswami temple at Srirangapatnam, and the Odakaraya temple at Hospet. In the Tamil land and in Malabar, he earned the sobriquet of “a Brahman-killer and a despoiler of south Indian temples”"

"Vilification of Tipu was linked to the development of an imperial culture. Expansionist Governors General consciously blackened the character of Tipu to make their own aggressive actions more palatable to British audiences at home. Through a process of reversal, preventive war came to be justified as defensive in nature, protecting the native inhabitants of Mysore from the depredations of an unspeakable despot. The increasingly vilified and caricatured representations of Tipu allowed the East India Company to portray itself as fighting a moral crusade to liberate southern India from the depredations of a savage ruler. Company servants were recast in the British popular imagination from unscrupulous nabobs into virtuous soldier-heroes that embodied the finest qualities of the British nation. The study of the faithless and violent character of ‘Tippoo the Tyrant’ ultimately reveals much about how empire is constructed at home and abroad."

"Tipu was one of our great statesmen, and politically he was committed to driving the British out of the country. He took into account both his Muslim and Hindu subjects. He was farsighted, particularly the way in which he tried to be self-sufficient and manufacture rockets. If he had mastered the technique, probably the history of India would’ve taken a different turn."

"He (Tipu Sultan) was indifferent to women even though his seraglio contained many beautiful ladies. The case of Coorg women who fell into his hands is a good illustration of this statement. But his indifference did not arise from any temperamental dullness. He had to set a proper example and was therefore very careful. His attitude towards Ali Raza Beebi of Tellicherry goes to prove that he would not hesitate to punish the faithless even among well-placed women. He created a special military corps, Usud-Illahis, with a desire to make such ill-advised persons physically strong. It is said that there was a touch of romance however in the whole business. But this did not out-weigh his higher intention, which was prescribed by the holy Koran. Drunkenness, Prostitution and Irreverance were the most common vices. It appears from the available evidence that Tipu Sultan was the sole exception among the Muhammadan rulers of his time and among the noblemen of his own country to have had a real abhorrence to these social evils."

"The verse inscribed on his epitaph at Srirangapattana provides eminent testimony to this fact. It commemorates him as the “Haidari Sultan who died for the Faith.” The text in the Farsi original and its translation (emphasized) follow: The light of Islam and the faith left the world; Tipu on account of the faith of Muhammad was a martyr The sword was lost The offspring of Haidar was a great martyr The verse was composed by Mir Hussein Ali and written by Abdul Kadir. The date inscribed on the tomb is 1213 Hijri which corresponds to the year 1799."

"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."

"Speaking of Tipu, Major James Rennell (1742-1830) observed perspicaciously as early as 1792: He is unquestionably the most powerful of all the native princes of Hindoostan; but the utter detestation in which he is held by his own subjects, renders it improbable that his reign will be long. (cited in Rao, 1948, Vol. 3, p. 1230)"

"In the vast empire of Tipu Sultan on the eve of his death, there were only two Hindu temples having daily pujas within the Sreerangapatanam fortress. It is only for the satisfaction of the Brahmin astrologers who used to study his horoscope that Tipu Sultan had spared those two temples. The entire wealth of every Hindu temple was confiscated before 1790 itself mainly to make up for the revenue loss due to total prohibition in the country."