Nišān-i Ḥaydarī - The Reign of Ṭīpū Sulṭān

The Sultán after this returned to his tent, and to punish the contumacy of the men who had followed the commandant, some were put to death, and some after having their hands and noses cut off were turned out of the camp. These poor men, who had been punished for their companionship with the prisoner in irons, followed him for two stages, crying out to him, “Oh thou vile incendiary, thou art the cause of our ruin; our hands and noses have been sacrificed to our senseless love of thee.”

When these cries reached the ears of the commandant, his feelings of honour and compassion were violently affected, but he repressed his agitation as best he could until night, and at midnight having performed his ablutionary duties he cut out his tongue, or rather drew it out by the root; and like a lamp at the approach of morning, died. Some say that he had a diamond ring on his finger, and that having taken out the diamond and rubbed it on a stone, he swallowed it and so died.^q Some one found the date of his death in the following words The prop or pillar of the state is fallen, 1198 Hijri.

When the people of his escort the next morning found him dead in the palankin, they took him up and returned with him and his horses to the presence, and all the furniture and moveables of his house were one by one examined by the Sultán. Among the articles was a small box, locked, and on its being opened and examined, several letters from English officers were found, written and sent to him during the expedition to the Payanghaut to induce him to join them, and promising him in that event large Jageers, &c., which letters, although that faithful servant had answered by scornfully rejecting their offers, still, from his extreme simplicity he had neglected to tear up,— these, by accident passed under the angry inspection of the Sultán and when therefore the contents were explained, they became, or were made, the grounds of obloquy and reproach, and the suspicion which had been entertained of his disaffection and treachery was confirmed.

The Sultán, therefore, gave orders that the commandant’s corpse should be dragged outside the camp and there left, and his sons were made the Sultán’s slaves, and his Khadima or wife, was given as a wife to one of his (the Sultán’s) slaves, a worthy and excellent man, who kept her in respectability and honour to her death, and never addressed her by any other name than mother, and indeed treated her in every respect as if he had been her son.

The mother of the Sultán on hearing of these events, which arose entirely from misunderstanding, was much grieved, and cursed the hasty anger of her son, and sent for his, the commandant’s, widow who resided at Seringaputtun to live with her in the Hurum Sera, or Seraglio.

The deceased commandant, although a man of blood, and very intemperate, still, was universally known for his liberality and generous support of the poor, and monthly and yearly forty or fifty Fakírs, or religious mendicants, spread their carpets in his tents, and resided there, and often elephants, palankins and horses presented to him by the Nawáb, were given away by him in charity to these men to that extent, that the deceased Nawáb, knowing his liberality, frequently repurchased them from them, and when occasion required bestowed them again in presents on the commandant. The fame of his generosity to the poor extended so far, that whenever a party of these religious beggars assembled at the gate of the palace, calling out for charity, Hydur Alí was accustomed to send word to them to go to that low or vulgar fellow, (meaning the commandant), and he, pleased beyond measure at the compliment, gave up to them whatever he had of money, plate, utensils, clothes, &c.

After his death, when his property was examined, in his own chest, they found nothing but some old clothes, a religious mendicant’s cap, and a coat, or frock presented to him by Amin Sáhib a Mushaik’h of Arkat, who was his Moorshud, or spiritual guide, and forty cash or copper coins with the impression of an elephant upon them. But to return:— After these events, the Sultán having consigned the charge of the forts of that quarter to the most faithful and distinguished men among his servants; Budruzzumán Khán, who left the force of Syud Sáhib after the battle of Cuddalore,^r which circumstance will be mentioned hereafter, was now summoned by the Sultán, and appointed to the Foujdári and government of the district of Nuggur, and the Sultán then marched towards Koorg, when at this period arrived Mr. Sadleir, Colonel Dallas &c., on the part of the governor of the port of Madras, in order to renew and confirm the relations of peace,^s and, with expressions of friendship and regard, they presented rich dresses, and a profusion of gold and jewels, to the servants of the Sultán; and with well weighed words or explanations cleared away the dust of enmity from the mind of the Sultán: after therefore the preliminary arrangement of the conditions of peace, and amity, and the accomplishment of their objects, they with Abdul Wahab Khán, (who had been a prisoner in Seringaputtun), and certain European prisoners returned to Madras.

The governors of the forts and districts in the territories of each of the opposing nations were now recalled.

The Sultán’s mind being now set at ease by the establishment of peace, he determined to revisit his capital, and he therefore marched and encamped with all his retinue and army in the vicinity of the Bul district, and having named that fort Munzirabád, he gave it in charge to a brave officer as governor, and selected and appointed Zein al Abidín Mehdivi, who was a favourite servant, to the entire government of Koorg; and gave him strict orders to displace, imprison, and punish all the rebellious and seditious people of that district; and the capital of that Souba, which was before called Murkera, was named Zuffurabád.^t The Sultán after this dismissed him, and about the conclusion of the year, at a fortunate hour entered his capital Seringaputtun. On this occasion the chiefs and nobility, such as the Sadaut and religious chiefs, according to custom, went out of the city to meet him, and had the honour to kiss the victorious stirrup, they being also received with distinguished marks of favour.

When the kingly throne became enlightened by the resplendent countenance of that sun of the firmament of victory, (the Sultán), he addressed himself seriously to the regulation of the country, his army and all the departments depending on his state, and revised and altered the rules and principles of the protection and defence of his kingdom after a new form;— for instance, in former days, that is in the time of the deceased Nawáb, the exercises and manœuvres of the regular troops were arranged and performed, and the word given according to the French system of military evolution or tactics,— but, now, the Sultán drawing the pen of examination or correction through that system, with the advice of Zein al Abidín Shustree, (the brother of Abúl Kasím Khán, Hydurabadi, who was also honoured with the title of Mír Alum Shusteri), he changed the military code of regulations and altered the technical terms or words of command, above mentioned, (the French), to words of the Persian and Turkish languages; and a separate treatise called Futtah al Mujáhidín^u was written by Zein al Abidín and his system was confirmed. From the regular infantry, five thousand men being selected, they were named a Kushoon, and the officer commanding that body was called a Sipahdár. In each Kushoon were four Risaladárs or colonels of infantry, and one of cavalry, and under the orders of each Risaladár or colonel, were ten Jowkdárs or captains, and on that scale or proportion one hundred men being a Jowk, the chief of them was called a Jowkdár, every Jowk or company included two Sur Kheil, ten Jemadárs, and ten Duffadárs.— In the regiments of troop or regular horse,^x which were formed and appointed after the manner of the Europeans, the Teepdár and Soubadár who, in the French and English languages are called major and adjutant, were called Youzdár and Nakíb. In distinction to the Nakíb of the Kushoon and Risala, he, who was called Yussakchi,^y had his name changed to Shurbushurn. The officer commanding three or four Teeps, (regiments of cavalry), was called Mokubdár. In this mode he invented new terms in all departments, as will be succinctly mentioned hereafter.

The Shoostri before mentioned was now appointed to command the Kushoon of the deceased commandant, and after some time he was known to every body by the sobriquet or nick name, of “Chup gír Dumuk^z”— “shoulder, or carry arms.”

About this time the Bar or regular infantry, Kutcheri, was called the Jysh Kutcheri;^a the troop or regular horse Kutcheri, the Uskeri Kutcheri; and the Bundeh, or Slave Kutcheri, was called the &xc1sad illáhi Kutcheri.

An account of the operations of Mír Moinuddín, otherwise called Syud Sáhib, the Sipahsalar of the Sultán in the Payanghaut province, and a description of the battles fought between the Syud, the French, and the English troops, and his return to the presence; also, the conclusion of peace in the same year, that is to say, the year 1197 Hijri, or A. D. 1782.

WHEN the Sultán marched towards Nuggur, Syud Sáhib, with his own division of troops, was encamped on the Walpundul river, and while there, spies brought intelligence, that Colonel Lang with his force had proceeded suddenly by forced marches from Trichinopoly, with the intention of taking possession of Kurroor and Dindigul.

The moment the Syud received this information, he despatched Budruzzumán Khán, with all the musketeers and artillery in advance, to oppose him, while he himself followed after him with the rest of his troops. When, however, the above mentioned Khán had arrived at Turwur Palah, Osmán Khán Turín, the Governor of the fort of Kurroor, notwithstanding he had a very strong garrison, and abundance of warlike stores, resigning his courage and confidence, gave up the fort to the above mentioned Colonel, and he himself went and joined Roshan Khán and Sriput Rao, who had been appointed to reduce the rebellious Naimars. The Colonel, in the mean time, leaving a garrison in this fort, marched on and laid siege to the small fort of Arawa Koorchi, and was using his best endeavours to take it, when the Khán abovementioned arrived in his neighbourhood, and encamped on this side the Amravuti river.^b The Colonel, as soon as he was aware of the arrival of the victorious army, left his batteries and encamped on the opposite bank of the said river. The next day, however, seeing the small number of the Sultán’s troops, he gave up the idea of attacking them, and recommenced the siege of the fort; repaired his batteries, and renewed his fire on the walls. The Khán, therefore, having consulted his Risaldárs, selected a certain Jowkdár, named Kumruddín, and his Jowk or company, completely armed, and appointed him Killadár, or Governor; and despatched him at night to the fort under the escort of the Risala of Himmut Khán Bukhturi, (the nephew of Payinda Khán,) and the Risala of Bubur Alí Beg, with orders to attack the enemy. As soon as these Risaldárs received their orders, they advanced with the greatest bravery, and attacking the advanced or outlying pickets of the British troops in flank, and dispersing them, they escorted the Jowkdár and his company to the fort, and then returned. The Colonel, the next morning, finding a reinforcement had reached the fort, in the greatest rage imaginable, ordered his artillery and musketeers to fire at a particular part of the fort, from the morning until mid-day; at which time, the wall on one face being levelled with the ground, his troops made an assault.

The garrison, notwithstanding they bravely exerted themselves to beat back the storming party, and for two or three hours handled their arms manfully; still, as the hand of death was striking the drum of their defeat and destruction behind them, they all lost their lives.

The English troops victorious, therefore, after taking possession of the fort, turned their faces towards the attack of the Khán’s camp; the Jowkdár, however, who has been before mentioned, having crept out by a water drain, escaped and joined that force. The Khán, now finding his troops unable to cope with, or oppose the English army, retired by a night march to the vicinity of Dharapoor.

Roshan Khán, however, and the before mentioned Rao, remained hovering round the English army, making Kuzzak, or desultory attacks, when Syud Sáhib arrived,^c and after a period of five or six days, and the treachery of Osmán Khán Turín, the Killadár of Kurroor, being established, he was impaled. The troops were now formed to attack the English army, when a letter from Monsieur Bussy, the commander-in-chief of the French army, arrived, stating that the whole of the English army had advanced to the vicinity of Kuddalore, to give battle; and that the Khán, with his force, was to return, and after the defeat of their proud enemy, they would together proceed to make all necessary arrangements in the quarter in which he then was. Syud Sáhib, therefore, immediately on receipt of this letter, appointed his two Dustadárs, (colonels or generals of cavalry),^d to remain behind, giving them strict orders that to the utmost of their ability, they should prevent the soldiers of the enemy from plundering the peasantry and inhabitants of that quarter; and he himself marched by the route of Tatingar Putti, to Totum Moosli, and there halted one day, when his spies brought him intelligence that a great quantity of stores and provisions belonging to the English army, were deposited in the fort of Kurtullum, and that it was guarded by a few foot soldiers only.

The Khán, therefore, accompanied by the Risalas of infantry alone, marched and commenced the siege of this fort:— it happened however that the site of the fort was surrounded by the running streams of the river Kauverí, and the irrigated fields near it were deep mud and covered with green crops. The garrison, which consisted of not more than twenty or thirty men, withstood gallantly the multitude of their assailants, and prevented their effecting an entrance, and indeed exerted themselves with such energy in the repulse of their enemies, that the Syud after attacking and fighting the whole day returned at night to his encampment, and appointed a number of Kuzzaks to watch the fort, for this reason, that the next morning he intended to attack with artillery and to carry ladders with him, and after taking the fort to put the English garrison to the sword, in revenge for the loss of his men slain in the fort of Arawa Koorchi.

The garrison, however, not thinking themselves safe, the same night taking what articles they could with them, and burning the rest, marched off to Trichinopoly, which was distant about five fursungs, or nearly eighteen miles. The Syud, therefore, now marched from that place and proceeded to Kuddalore by the route of Durwachul, or Wardachul, and the Khán before mentioned, with the artillery and Risalas, was despatched to the fort (of Kuddalore), to the aid of M. Bussy, while he himself (the Syud) with the remaining horse and foot marched towards Selimbur.^e