Siege of Bangalore

Last updated

Siege of Bangalore
Part of the Third Anglo-Mysore War
RobertHome - The Death of Colonel Moorhouse at the Storming of the Pettah Gate of Bangalore.jpg
The Death of Colonel Moorhouse, Madras artillery, at the Storming of the Pettah Gate of Bangalore by Robert Home
Date5 February – 21 March 1791
Location
Result British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg British East India Company
Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Great Britain
Flag of Mysore.svg Sultanate of Mysore
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg Charles Cornwallis Flag of Mysore.svg Tipu Sultan (outside the lines)
Flag of Mysore.svgSipahdar Syad Hamid Sahib (lower fort)
Flag of Mysore.svgBuhadur Khan Sahib [1] (upper fort)

The siege of Bangalore was a siege of the town and fortifications of Bangalore during the Third Anglo-Mysore War by forces of the British East India Company, led by Charles, Earl Cornwallis against a Mysorean garrison, while Tipu Sultan, Mysore's ruler, harried the camps and positions of the besiegers. Arriving before the town on 5 February 1791, Cornwallis captured the town by assault on 7 February, and after six weeks of siege, stormed the fortress on 21 March.

Contents

Background

The Bangalore fort was described as follows, in about 1791: [2]

Bangalore, like Madras, had a fort, with a pettah, or fortified town, outside it. This lay-out was a feature of almost all the cities or settlements in India, the fort providing a place of refuge for most of the inhabitants if the pettah was in danger of capture. The fort at Bangalore had a perimeter of about one mile; it was of solid masonry, surrounded by a wide ditch which was commanded from 26 towers placed at intervals along the ramparts. To its north lay the pettah, several miles in circumference and protected by an indifferent rampart, a deep belt of thorn and cactus, and a small ditch. Altogether Bangalore was not a place which invited attack.

Sandes, Lt Col E.W.C. (1933) The Military Engineer In India, Vol 1

The siege

Tipu Sultan followed Cornwallis' army, placing him in the awkward position of having an undefeated enemy army at his back while besieging the a strong fortification. Tipu kept away hoping to take assault when underway in flank. Over the next twelve days, two companies of the Madras Pioneers provided sappers for eight batteries, dug several parallels and a trench up to the fort ditch. Captain Kyd, of the Bengal Engineers then managed to breech the walls with mortars, [3] and Cornwallis elected to attack secretly on the night of 21 March 1791. The Madras Pioneers, led by Lieutenant Colin Mackenzie, crossed the ditch with scaling ladders, mounted the breach and entered the fort, while the artillery engaged the fort with blank ammunition. With a breach made, the main stormers rushed in and the fort was captured after a hand-to hand fight in which a thousand defenders were killed. Cornwallis captured the fort and secured the force against Tipu. [2] [4]

The Madras Pioneers, went on to make Bangalore their permanent home.

According to the British chronicler Mark Wilks, the British faced respectable resistance. However, the resistance lasted a few hours, and the fort fell to the British. Loss of the Bangalore Fort resulted in severe loss of morale amongst Tippu's soldiers. [6]

The British occupied the Bangalore Fort only for a year, as it was returned to Tippu Sultan, following the defeat of Tippu Sultan in 1792 and the consequent Treaty of Seringapatam. However, after the fall of Tippu Sultan in 1799, the Bangalore Fort came under British control. A British garrison was stationed at the fort till 1888, when it was handed over to the civil authorities. [6] [7]

Today, very little remains to remind people of the battle, except for a plaque (see picture), which reads "Through this breach the British assault was delivered. 21 March 1791." [6]

Fort Cemetery and the Demolished Cenotaph

Cenotaph, Bangalore Cenotaph, Bangalore - Copy.jpg
Cenotaph, Bangalore
Memorial Obelisk raised for the British and Indian Officers and Men who fell in the siege of Bangalore, 1791. The Hudson Memorial Church can be seen in the background. (The memorial was demolished on 28 October 1964) The Memorial Obelsisk, raised in memory of the British and Indian troops who fell at the siege of Bangalore in 1791.jpg
Memorial Obelisk raised for the British and Indian Officers and Men who fell in the siege of Bangalore, 1791. The Hudson Memorial Church can be seen in the background. (The memorial was demolished on 28 October 1964)

The Fort Cemetery, where the officers who fell in the siege of Bangalore were buried, is illustrated in Robert Home's book, Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan, published by Robert Bowyer, London, 1794. [9] Home's painting shows the graves of Captains James Smith, James Williamson, John Shipper, Nathaniel Daws and Jeremiah Delany, Lieutenant Conan and Lieutenant-Colonel Gratton. [10] As recorded in 1895, The cemetery was located just outside the Fort Church, with the church being responsible for its maintenance. The cemetery had cypress trees, rose bushes and flowers. The Government of Mysore, had constructed a wall and gate for the cemetery. [11] [12]

However, as recorded in 1912 by Rev. Frank Penny in his book The Church in Madras: Volume II, the cemetery no longer existed. The record of the offers who fell in the battle for the Bangalore Fort in 1791, were transferred to the cenotaph, raised by the Government of Mysore. [13] The 35 feet tall cenotaph pillar was raised in memory of the lives lost in the siege of Bangalore, opposite to the present Corporation Building, and Hudson Memorial Church. [14] Kannada activists led by Vatal Nagaraj and others made violent demands to demolish the cenotaph. As a result of these protests, the Bangalore City Corporation demolished the memorial on 28 October 1964, and the name of the road was also changed from Cenotaph Road to Nrupathunga Road. The engraved stones were destroyed, and not even a single stone remains. A small piece of the Cenotaph has been placed as a bench in the Corporation Office. [15] [16] Historians, and heritage lovers of Banaglore City are however enraged with this destruction of history. Well known blogger on Bangalore, Samyuktha Harshitha, calls it as 'official vandalism', comparing it with the destruction of the Bamiyan statues. [16] [17]

Sketches

The siege of Bangalore, resulted in a number of sketches by artists such as James Hunter, Thomas Daniell, William Daniell, Robert Home, etc. These sketches provide a detailed record of the landscape around the Bangalore Fort at that period.

Sketches of James Hunter

James Hunter served as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. He was a military painter, and his sketches portrayed aspects of military and everyday life. Hunter served the British India Army and took part in Tippu Sultan Campaigns.

Hunter has sketched different landscapes of South India, including Bangalore, Mysore, Hosur, Kancheepuram, Madras, Arcot, Sriperumbudur, etc. These paintings were published in 'A Brief history of ancient and modern India embellished with coloured engravings', published by Edward Orme, London between 1802–05, [20] and 'Picturesque scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore' published by Edward Orme in 1804. [21]

Hunter died in India in 1792. [20] Some of his paintings of Bangalore Fort are below

Other British Sketches of Bangalore Fort

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipu Sultan</span> Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799

Tipu Sultan, commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was the Indian Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery. He introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule, including a new coinage system and calendar, and a new land revenue system, which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry. Tipu was also a pioneer in introducing Channapatna toys. He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. He deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Srirangapatna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srirangapatna</span> Town in Karnataka, India

Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule, the city was renamed to Seringapatnam. Located near the city of Mandya, it is of religious, cultural and historic importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Mysore Wars</span> Conflicts mainly between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company (late 1700s)

The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company, Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore, and the Kingdom of Hyderabad on the other. Hyder Ali and his succeeding son Tipu fought the wars on four fronts: with the British attacking from the west, south and east and the Nizam's forces attacking from the north. The fourth war resulted in the overthrow of the house of Hyder Ali and Tipu, and the dismantlement of Mysore to the benefit of the East India Company, which took control of much of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Anglo-Mysore War</span> Conflict between the Kingdom of Mysore and the English East India Company and its allies

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Anglo-Mysore Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourth Anglo-Mysore War</span> 1799–99 conflict in the Kingdom of Mysore

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore against the British East India Company and the Hyderabad Deccan in 1798–99.

The Bangalore Cantonment (1806–1881) was a military cantonment of the British Raj based in the Indian city of Bangalore. The cantonment covered an area of 13 square miles (34 km2), extending from the Residency on the west to Binnamangala on the east and from the Tanneries on Tannery Road in the north to AGRAM in the south. By area, it was the largest British military cantonment in South India. The British garrison stationed in the cantonment included three artillery batteries, and regiments of the cavalry, infantry, sappers, miners, mounted infantry, supply and transport corps and the Bangalore Rifle Volunteers. The Bangalore Cantonment was directly under the administration of the British Raj, while Bangalore City itself was under the jurisdiction of the Durbar of the Kingdom of Mysore.

<i>Fathul Mujahidin</i>

Fathul Mujahidin is a military manual that was written by Zainul Abedin Shustari at the instruction of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in South India considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery. Mysore started to equip their army with rockets in the 1750s and during the Second Anglo–Mysore War (1780–1784) Tipu and his father Haider Ali used this technology against British troops. Tipu Sultan used rockets in battle with the British Army in the 1792 Siege of Srirangapatna, a battle at the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysore (1789–1791)</span>

The battle honour of Mysore commemorates the action of native units of the British East India Company in the Third Anglo-Mysore War of 1789–92.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangalore Fort</span> Historic mud fort in Kamataka, India

Bangalore Fort began in 1537 as a mud fort. The builder was Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore. Hyder Ali in 1761 replaced the mud fort with a stone fort and it was further improved by his son Tipu Sultan in the late 18th century. It was damaged during an Anglo-Mysore war in 1791. It still remains a good example of 18th-century military fortification. The army of the British East India Company, led by Lord Cornwallis on 21 March 1791 captured the fort in the siege of Bangalore during the Third Mysore War (1790–1792). At the time the fort was a stronghold for Tipu Sultan. Today, the fort's Delhi gate, on Krishnarajendra Road, and two bastions are the primary remains of the fort. A marble plaque commemorates the spot where the British breached fort's wall, leading to its capture. The old fort area also includes Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, and his armoury. The fort has provided the setting for the treasure hunt in the book Riddle of the Seventh Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devanahalli Fort</span> Village in Karnataka, India

Devanahalli Fort is located 35 kilometers (22 mi) north of Bangalore city, at Devanahalli in the State of Karnataka, India. Chieftain Malla Byre Gowda of Avathi, a Vijayanagara empire vassal, built a mud fort in c. 1501 at Devanadoddi. In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali re-constructed the fort in stone resulting in the current structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace</span> Building in Bangalore, India

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, in Bangalore, India, is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture and was the summer residence of the Mysorean ruler Tipu Sultan. Hyder Ali commenced its construction within the walls of the Bangalore Fort, and it was completed during the reign of Tipu Sultan in 1791. After Tipu Sultan's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the British Administration used the palace for its secretariat before moving to Attara Kacheri in 1868. Today the Archaeological Survey of India maintains the palace, which is located at the center of Old Bangalore near the Kalasipalya bus stand, as a tourist spot. Entry fee is 20 for Indian citizens, while for foreign visitors is 200 (US$2.50).

The captivity of Kodavas (Coorgis) at Seringapatam was the period of capture, deportation, and imprisonment of Kodava Takk speaking Coorgis who rebelled against Tippu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, they were caught during a number of attempts to suppress their rebellion in the 1780s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Home</span> British painter

Robert Home (1752–1834) was a British oil portrait painter who travelled to the Indian subcontinent in 1791. During his travels he also painted historic scenes and landscapes.

The Treaty of Seringapatam, signed 18 March 1792, ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis on behalf of the British East India Company, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha Empire, and Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Seringapatam (1792)</span> 1792 siege in Mysore, India

The 1792 siege of Seringapatam was a battle and siege of the Mysorean capital city of Seringapatam (Srirangapatna) at the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War. An army led by Charles, Earl Cornwallis, consisting of British East India Company and British Army forces, along with allied forces from the Maratha Empire and the Nizam of Hyderabad, arrived at Seringapatam on 5 February 1792, and after less than three weeks of battle and siege, forced Tipu Sultan to capitulate. With his agreement to the Treaty of Seringapatam on 18 March 1792, the war came to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwallis in India</span> British Army officer in India

British General Charles Cornwallis, the Earl Cornwallis, was appointed in February 1786 to serve as both Commander-in-Chief of British India and Governor of the Presidency of Fort William, also known as the Bengal Presidency. He oversaw the consolidation of British control over much of peninsular India, setting the stage for the British Raj. He was also instrumental in enacting administrative and legal reforms that fundamentally altered civil administration and land management practices there. According to historian Jerry Dupont, Cornwallis was responsible for "laying the foundation for British rule throughout India and setting standards for the services, courts, and revenue collection that remained remarkably unaltered almost to the end of the British era."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysorean invasion of Malabar</span>

The Mysorean invasion of Malabar (1766–1792) was the military invasion of the Malabar region of Kerala, including the territories of the Zamorin of Calicut, by the then-de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, Hyder Ali. After the invasion, the Kingdom of Cochin to the south of Malabar became a tributary state of Mysore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Church, Bangalore</span> Church in Bangalore Fort, India

The Fort Church, Bangalore, was a church located within Bangalore Fort. The church was demolished to make place for the construction of the Vani Vilas Hospital. The Government of Mysore then allotted land in Chamrajpet for construction of a new church, St. Luke's Church, Bangalore. Early records refer to the Fort Church as the Drummer's Chapel, constructed by British soldiers after the fall of Tippu Sultan. The Fort Church, Bangalore was the first protestant church to be raised in Bangalore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gumbaz, Srirangapatna</span> Mausoleum of Tippu Sultan, Hyder Ali and Fakr-Un-Nisa

The Gumbaz at Srirangapattana is a Muslim mausoleum at the centre of a landscaped garden, holding the graves of Tippu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali (Middle) and his mother Fakhr-Un-Nisa. It was built by Tippu Sultan to house the graves of his parents. The British allowed Tippu to be buried here after his martyrdom in the Siege of Srirangapatna in 1799.

James Hunter (1755–1792) served as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in British India, serving under Marquess Cornwallis. Hunter worked as a military artist, and his sketches portray aspects of military and everyday life. Hunter took part in Tippu Sultan campaigns and other military campaigns in South India. His paintings provide a picture of late-18th-century life in South India.

References

  1. Naravane, M.S. (2014). Battles of the Honorourable East India Company. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. p. 177. ISBN   9788131300343.
  2. 1 2 Sandes, Lt Col E.W.C. (1933). The Military Engineer in India, Vol I. Chatham: The Institution of Royal Engineers. pp. 163–165.
  3. Ghosh, Deepanjan (3 September 2019). "The Killedar of Bangalore Fort". www.livehistoryindia.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. Aruni, S K (18 January 2012). "Once a battlefield, now bustling K.R. Market". The Hindu. No. Bangalore. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  5. Mante, Thomas. The naval and military history of the wars of England, including, the wars of Scotland and Ireland, etc., Volume 7. p. 428. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Iyer, Meera (21 March 2011). "A battle saga, one March night". Deccan Herald. No. Bangalore. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. Iyer, Meera (11 September 2013). "A tale of Bangalore and its four forts". Deccan Herald. No. Bangalore. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. Shekhar, Divya. "Cenotaph Monument: Pillar marking 1791's Siege of Bangalore was torn down 53 years ago". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  9. "Burial Ground at Bangalore". British Library: Online Gallery. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  10. "Burial Ground at Bangalore". British Library: Online Gallery. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  11. "Parochial Magazine". Church of England. March 1895: 22.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. Dhanraj, Anik Luke; Isaac, Rabindran; Mercy (31 October 2010). Fortified revival. Bangalore: St. Luke's Church. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  13. Penny, Frank (1912). The Church in Madras : being the History of the Ecclesiastical and Missionary Action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras From 1805 to 1835: Volume II. London: John Murray. p.  71 . Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  14. Chandramouli, K (5 September 2002). "Edifices that tell tales". The Hindu . No. Bangalore. Archived from the original on 9 March 2003. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  15. S, Shyam Prasad (1 November 2014). "Reclaiming the city". Bangalore Mirror. No. Bangalore. Bangalore Mirror Bureau. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. 1 2 Harshitha, Samyuktha (2 December 2012). "This Cenotaph was officially vandalised". Suttha Muttha. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. Sripad, Ashwini M (25 October 2014). "The Disappearing Heritage Landscape of Bangalore". The New Indian Express. No. Bangalore. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  18. Daniell, Thomas; Daniell, William (29 April 1792). The army of Lord Comwallis, encamped near Bangalore (Mysore) . Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  19. Home, Robert (1794). Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan. London: Robert Bowyer. p. Plate 8. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  20. 1 2 Ebinesan, J (2006). "James Hunter's Bangalore" . Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  21. 1 2 Hunter, James (1792). Picturesque Scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore. p. Plate 16. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  22. Allan, Sir Alexander (1794). Views in the Mysore Country . Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  23. 1 2 Home, Robert (1794). Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan. London. p. Plate4. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  24. Home, Robert (1792). "View of the Pettah Gateway where Colonel Morehouse/Moorehouse fell". British Library. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  25. Martin, Claude (1792). Southerly view of Bangalore . Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  26. Home, Robert (1792). South View of Bangalore . Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  27. Colebrooke, Robert Hyde (1791). Twelve Views of Places in the Kingdom of Mysore. London: Thomson. p. Plate 1. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  28. Hunter, James (1804). Picturesque Scenery in the Kingdom of Mysore'. London: Edward Orme. p. Plate 8. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  29. Home, Robert (22 March 1791). Plan of Bangalore . Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  30. Martin, Claude (1792). Plan of the Fort of Bangalore from sights, without measurement . Retrieved 20 February 2015.