Over 5,000 people from various walks of life paid homage to Mysuru’s erstwhile ruler Tipu Sultan on his 270th birth anniversary celebration at Srirangapatna that houses his tomb on Sunday.
Heavy security arrangements had been made across the town to maintain law and order.
Tipu died while fighting the British troops at Srirangapatna during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War on May 4, 1799. He was laid to rest next to his parents Hyder Ali and Fakr-Un-Nisa at Gumbaz in Srirangapatna.
In spite of a public holiday, people from different parts of the State thronged the historical town to pay their respects to Tipu, popularly known as ‘Tiger of Mysore’.
Tanveer Sait, former Minister and Congress MLA representing Narasimharaja Assembly segment in Mysuru district, visited the Gumbaz in the morning and paid his respects to Tipu and his parents.
The representatives of some local governing bodies of Mandya and Mysuru districts were also present when Mr. Sait visited the Gumbaz, which is also known as Gumbad-e-Shahi.
According to sources at Gumbaz, the number of people who visited the place had crossed 5,000 by 4 p.m. “At least 10,000 people would visit by Monday,” Irfan Pasha, secretary of Tipu Wakf Estate, told The Hindu . He and other leaders at the Gumbaz praised the communal harmony and national integrity being displayed by the people in Srirangapatna despite controversies revolving around Tipu’s name.
None of the people here want Tipu’s name dragged into controversies, said Manjunath, a resident of Ganjam.
There are several hundreds of families here depending on monuments/places linked to Tipu for their livelihood.
Non-Muslim visitors
According to Mr. Pasha, a pavement vendor at Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple in Srirangapatna, at least 75% of the visitors to Tipu’s tomb are from non-Muslim communities.
Sweet Pongal was distributed to around 5,000 people on Sunday after paying floral tribute to the tombs of Tipu and his parents.
