The History Of Bangalore

How did a kingdom stripped of its primary commercial ports transform itself into an industrial powerhouse? In this episode, Ramjee Chandran traces the origin of two defining Mysorean legacies: silk and lacquerware toys. From 12-year expeditions sent to China for silkworms to treadmill-pumped mulberry fields outside Bengaluru's old city gates, discover how Tipu Sultan built a closed-loop textile ecosystem and laid the foundation for modern Karnataka's sericulture industry

Key Details from the Script:

1786 Sericulture Expeditions: Tipu Sultan dispatched diplomatic missions to China (lasting 12 years) and Bengal (lasting 4 years) to procure silkworms and expert reelers. On September 26, 1786, Tipu wrote to Syed Mahommed, commandant of Srirangapatna fort, ordering temporary housing for the incoming Bengal silkworms near the old palace to commence breeding.

Hyder Ali’s Early Foundations: Sericulture in Mysore began under Hyder Ali prior to 1782. Artisans brought from Uraiyur (Trichy) and roughly 300 reelers from Bengal established bamboo mounting frames and silk-reeling techniques at Srirangapatna.

Global Trade & Sourcing: Letters from April and May 1786 show Tipu directing Mir Kazim, manager of the Muscat trade post in Oman, to collect silkworms, Persian saffron seeds, and pearls from Bahrain and Hormuz.

The Bengaluru Supply Chain: Outside the eastern Halasooru Gate near Sampangi Tank (modern Sampangirama Nagar), human-powered treadmills pumped lake water to cultivate mulberry bushes. These crops fed silkworm breeding units that supplied raw thread directly to looms inside the Bengaluru pete.

Refuting the Colonial "Failure" Narrative: British translator William Kirkpatrick (1811) dismissed Tipu’s sericulture project as "unsuccessful". In reality, the imported yellow silkworm adapted to the local climate without hibernating, producing the resilient "Pure Mysore race" that anchors modern silk production.

Long-Term Industry Evolution: The Channapatna-Srirangapatna corridor became Mysore’s permanent silk belt. It was expanded later by Italian entrepreneur de Vecchi (Kengeri filature, 1866) and Jamsetji Tata (Tata Silk Farm in Basavanagudi, 1896).

Channapatna Manufacturing Hub: Beyond sericulture, Channapatna transitioned from metal and precision crafting—such as veena strings—into the famous lacquerware toy manufacturing town that exists today.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.

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The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.

RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.

Did Mysore possess a high-seas navy capable of challenging the Royal Navy? In this episode, Ramjee Chandran uncovers the history of Tipu Sultan’s 1796 naval ordinance (Hukumnamah). Moving beyond coastal defense, Tipu sought to construct a blue-water fleet, establish a Board of Admiralty, and forge a maritime alliance with revolutionary France—a bold strategic shift that directly alarmed the British high command and hastened the fall of Mysore.

Key Details from the Script:

1796 Political Context: Debt cleared and sons returned by 1794; Tipu abolished the puppet Maharaja position upon Chamaraja Wadiyar IX’s death in 1796 to assume direct, absolute sovereignty.

Blue-Water Strategic Shift: Expanding on Hyder Ali’s 1763 coastal dockyards, Tipu pivoted from a "brown-water" coastal defense to a "blue-water" deep-sea fleet to attack British supply lines and target Bombay by sea.

The French Connection: Planned a joint naval strategy with revolutionary France to challenge British maritime dominance and restore open trade corridors.

The 1796 Ordinance (Hukumnamah): Established a 11-member Board of Admiralty (Mir Yams) across three dockyard divisions (Mangalore, Basavarajadurga, Sadashivgad) to build 40 ships—including 20 massive 80-gun battleships featuring tiger figureheads.

British Alarm & Outcome: Prompted Governor-General Wellesley to call for seizing Mysore's coast in 1798; by 1799, British forces found only 19 smaller craft, leaving it uncertain whether the 20 major battleships were never built or erased from records.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.

Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here:

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Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran

The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.

RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.

Standing in the spring of 1792 with a halved kingdom and two sons held hostage in Madras, what choices remained for Tipu Sultan? In this episode, Ramjee Chandran explores the state of mind of the Mysorean monarch. Refusing to become a British vassal or bow to foreign oversight, Tipu paid his massive debt ahead of schedule and pivoted his state toward rapid industrialization, scientific innovation, and global naval ambitions.

Key Details from the Script:

The Immediate Aftermath (Spring 1792):

Allied armies departed, leaving Srirangapatna intact but Tipu surrounded on all sides by enemies (British, Marathas, Nizam).

Mysore retained the dry interior plateau, Bangalore, Mangalore, and an army in the field, but owed two-thirds of the 3.3 crore ransom with two young princes held hostage in Madras.

Rejecting the Vassal State Trap:

Tipu had three paths: accept permanent defeat, buy British protection at the cost of independence (subsidiary alliance/vassalage like Arcot or Awadh), or rebuild and fight.

Examples like Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Walajah of Arcot (trapped in debt to Company servants) and Awadh (forced to pay for British military garrisons) illustrated how "protection" eroded sovereignty.

Tipu paid his dues rapidly to ensure no British Resident stayed in Srirangapatna, bringing his sons home by 1794.

Understanding British Power:

Tipu recognized that British military dominance was built on money, trade, and industrial manufacturing rather than sheer cavalry numbers.

He realized co-existence as equals was impossible given three British wars against Mysore in 25 years.

Pivoting to an Industrial State:

With high-revenue commercial ports gone, Tipu turned inward to transform Mysore into a modern manufacturing and technology-driven economy.

Implemented state trading operations, developed the Channapatna manufacturing belt, and established the sericulture/silk industry by sending emissaries to China for silkworms and expert cultivators.

Scientific Curiosity & The Taramandalapete Experiment:

An account by Englishman William Smith (1794) describes Tipu demonstrating a Mysorean condensing water engine at Taramandalapete in Bangalore that out-performed its European counterpart.

Tipu experimented with a Leyden jar (a capacitor storing static electricity) and playfully shocked his ministers holding hands in a circle.

The 1796 Naval Ordinance:

Tipu established a Naval Board in 1796 to build a war fleet despite holding only a non-commercial coastline.

The naval strategy relied on a anticipated alliance with the French Navy to challenge British maritime hegemony and reclaim trade corridors.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.

Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofbangalore/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfBangalore

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryOfBLR

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HistoryOfBangalore?si=mnH3BsYfI4BUU234

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-the-history-of-bangalore-163453722/

Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran

The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.

RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.

Description:
Why did Lord Cornwallis leave Tipu Sultan on the throne of Mysore in 1792 after bringing him to his knees? In this episode, Ramjee Chandran debunks the notion that the British lacked administrative capability, proving instead that the decision to leave half a kingdom intact was a calculated move driven by strategic geography, coalition politics, and legal constraints. Discover how Cornwallis secured British interests by shutting off key military passes into the Carnatic while carefully balancing the Maratha Confederacy and operating within strict parliamentary limits.

Key Details from the Script:

Refuting the "Administrative Incapacity" Myth:

Some historians suggest the East India Company was purely a military force incapable of administering the plateau.

Ramjee Chandran dismisses this: the British were expert bureaucrats with established Presidencies in Calcutta and Madras. Having already administered Bangalore and secured local palegars, they possessed the immediate capacity to run territories like Baramahal and Salem.

Reason 1: Defensive Frontiers Over Territorial Conquest:

The primary war goal was eliminating Mysore's capacity to invade the Carnatic—a fear rooted in the disastrous British defeat at Pollilur (1780).

Cornwallis strategically annexed Baramahal, Salem, Coorg, and Malabar. These were not chosen merely for wealth, but because they controlled all mountain passes and coastal routes into British territory, effectively trapping Tipu on the interior plateau.

Reason 2: Coalition Mechanics & Managing Allies:

The Third Anglo-Mysore War was a joint effort with equal partners: the Maratha Confederacy and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Unilateral annexation by the Company would have sparked intense "violent jealousy," especially from the formidable Maratha Confederacy, who would demand their equal share of the entire kingdom.

Reason 3: Mysore as a Buffer State:

Completely dismantling Mysore would create a long, direct, unprotected frontier between British territories and the powerful Maratha Confederacy.

A weakened, residual Mysore served as a vital strategic buffer state between the two powers.

Reason 4: Parliamentary Mandates (Pitt’s India Act):

As a chartered corporation, the East India Company operated under strict standing instructions from the British Parliament prohibiting offensive territorial expansion.

Cornwallis could justify the war in London as a "defensive necessity" that paid for itself, but outright annexation of a defeated kingdom could not be legally defended.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.

Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofbangalore/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfBangalore

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iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-the-history-of-bangalore-163453722/

Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran

The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.

RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.

How does a nation crippled by territorial losses clear a war debt worth a fraction of a global empire's annual output within two years? In this episode, Ramjee Chandran analyzes the true economic weight of the 3-crore-and-30-lakh-rupee ransom imposed on Tipu Sultan after the Treaty of Seringapatam. Uncover how Tipu avoided borrowing a single rupee by combining personal treasury reserves, severe military wage cuts, and sophisticated revenue extractions from his subjects to bring his hostage sons back from Madras

Key Details from the Script:

Evaluating the True Value of 3 Crore 30 Lakh Rupees:

Economic historian M.H. Gopal converts the indemnity to £3.3 million sterling (at £1 to Rs 10).

Using economic historian Stephen Broadberry's methodology—which measures an indemnity's share of a nation's total economic output—the 1792 payment represented 1.5% to 1.75% of Great Britain's entire annual GDP (~£200 million at the time).

Applied to the modern UK economy (~£3.15 trillion), this single payment equates to approximately £45 billion today.

Inspection of Mysore’s Portable Treasury Books:

During initial negotiations, the British originally demanded 6 crore rupees.

Mysore’s chief envoys, including Ghulam Ali, presented the kingdom's formal, portable treasury accounts for British inspection.

Upon verifying these ledgers, Lord Cornwallis agreed to accept 3 crore rupees, plus 30 lakh rupees for "durbar expenses" (war costs), specifically demanding immediate cash in hand ("ready money" in gold/silver coin and bullion).

Immediate Remittance and the Pressure of Hostages:

Delay, default, or bad-harvest pleas were impossible options because Tipu’s two young sons were held hostage in Madras.

On February 28, 1792—less than a week after preliminary terms were sealed and weeks before the final treaty was signed—Tipu remitted over 1 crore and 9 lakh rupees (~one-third of the total debt).

How the Full Ransom Was Raised (Wilks/Gopal Analysis):

110 Lakhs (1.1 Crore): Direct contribution from Tipu Sultan's personal treasury and state reserves.

60 Lakhs: Extracted from the Mysore army via Nazarana (forced ceremonial offerings). Soldiers' annual pay was cut by two months per year over 2.5 years, forcing the defeated military to pay for its own war penalty.

160 Lakhs (1.6 Crore): Collected from the population. Department heads fraudulently assessed themselves as paid on paper and shifted the burden to the districts. The state artificially inflated the conversion value of the gold pagoda, forcing farmers to pay higher actual tax rates.

The Paradox of Credit: Mysore vs. East India Company:

Mysore: Paid the entirety of its massive, modern multi-billion-pound equivalent debt in cash without borrowing a single anna.

East India Company: Conquered India almost entirely on credit extended by Indian banking houses (hundis), leading to a tripled corporate debt under Richard Wellesley that nearly bankrupted the Company.

The final payment was delivered in 1794, successfully securing the safe return of princes Abdul Khaliq and Muiz-ud-din.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.

Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofbangalore/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfBangalore

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryOfBLR

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HistoryOfBangalore?si=mnH3BsYfI4BUU234

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-the-history-of-bangalore-163453722/

Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran

The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.

RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.