Context: Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, Kerala, is home to a temple that was partly destroyed by Tipu Sultan and used as a store for arms in the 1700s. There have been political debates going on regarding the question of changing its name to Ganapathyvattam.
About Ganapathyvattam temple:
- Sulthan Bathery has a Jain stone temple that was once known as Ganapathyvattam.
- Built in the Vijayanagara architectural style was constructed by Jains who migrated to Wayanad from areas in present-day Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the 13th century.
- The temple was partly destroyed during the invasions of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore in the second half of the 18th century.
- The temple is part of the Jain circuit of Kerala.
- Presently, it is under Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance.
- The erstwhile Hindu temple:
- During the time of Kulashekara (an Indian dynasty ruling over parts of Kerala from 9th to 12th century), the Ganapathyvattam temple was situated here.
- There are beliefs that the kings of Purakizha completed the construction of the temple.
- Later, the temple came under the rulers of Kottayam.
- Tipu destroyed the Temple and used the stones for building a Fort.
- The remains or site of this fort does not exist now.
- Chief deity: Ganapathi (Lord Ganesh)
- Other deities: Baghavathi, Ayyappan, Nagaraja and Shiva.
History of Sultan Bathery:
- 930 AD: ruler Erayappa of the Ganga dynasty led his troops to the south-west of Mysore and, after conquering it, called it Bayalnad, meaning the land of swamps.
- 12th century AD: The Ganga dynasty was dethroned by the Kadamba dynasty of North Canara.
- 1104 AD: Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala invaded Bayalnad followed by the Vijayanagara dynasty in the 16th century.
- 1610 AD: Udaiyar Raja Wadiyar of Mysore drove out Vijayanagara and became the ruler of Bayalnad.
- Under Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan:
- Between 1750 and 1790, northern Kerala was invaded several times by the rulers of Mysore, Hyder Ali and Tipu.
- The armies of Tipu destroyed temples and churches.
- Tipu Sultan used the Maha Ganapathy temple in Sulthan Bathery as a battery or store for weapons for his army in the Malabar region.
- This led to the British recording Ganapathyvattam as Tipu Sultan’s Battery, and the name survived as Sulthan Bathery.
- Under British rule:
- East India Company (EIC) seized Wayanad from Pazhassi Raja.
- EIC administered the district until it was superseded by the British Raj in 1858.
About Mysore Kingdom:
- Independent state created as a result of the Mughal Empire’s fall.
- Wadiyars were in charge of this region.
- Became a never-ending battleground as a result of several powers’ interest in this land.
- Haider Ali gained control over the state.
Haider Ali:
- Nanjaraj (the sarvadhikari) and Devaraj Dulwai), reduced Krishnaraja Wadiyar to the status of a puppet.
- Under the leadership of the ministers Nanjaraj and Devaraj, Haidar Ali began his career in the Mysore army.
- Introduced Western training techniques for his army.
- Enlisted assistance from the French to establish a weapons factory in Dindigul (now in Tamil Nadu).
- Involved in the First and Second Carnatic Wars in South India.
- Mysore sided with the French in the Carnatic Wars.
- Nizam of Hyderabad, the Marathas, and the English formed an alliance against Haider Ali, the king of Mysore, in the first Anglo-Mysore war (1767–69). English had to sign the humiliating Treaty of Madras in 1769.
- Treaty of Mangalore, signed in 1784: ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784).
- Tipu Sultan succeeded his father Haider Ali after his death.
About Tipu Sultan:
- Last Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore.
- Navy:
- Defeat in the Third Anglo-Mysore War convinced Tipu to take measures to build a navy.
- Issued a Hukmnanah (ordinance) in 1796 for a strong naval force.
- The Navy was put under command of 11 Mir Yam (Lords of Admiralty), with headquarters at Seringapatam.
- Naval divisions or Kachehris at Jamalabad (Mangalore), Wajidabad and Majidabad.
- Ammunitions: munitions industry in Nagar, which were regarded as equal in quality to those produced in Europe.
- Rocket technology: Pioneer of rocket technology; expanded iron cased Mysorean rockets; commissioned a military manual Fathul Mujahidin.
- Economy:
- Attempted to revive commerce and forged commercial linkages with other parts of India and West Asia
- Built a public sector company with state finance.
- He introduced sericulture.
- Member of the Jacobin club; planted a liberty tree at Seringapatam.
- Agriculture and Revenue Settlement:
- Modified land revenue management.
- Laid down rules for distribution of arable land among old and new ryots;
- Preference given to hereditary ownership of land and rent was fixed.
- These became the basis for the Ryotwari Settlement introduced by the East India Company in South India.
- Captain Alexander Read first introduced Ryotwari Settlement in Baramahal district surrendered by Tipu after his defeat in 1792.
- Calendar: Introduced a new calendar in 1784; known as Mauludi Era and had 354 days; first year from the year of birth of Prophet Muhammad.
- Administrative innovations: a new coinage system.
- Deployed rockets during Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Seringapatam.
- Third Anglo Mysore war (1790-92): Defeated by EIC and the Treaty Seringapatam was concluded. Under the treaty, Tipu lost half of Mysore’s territory.
- Fourth Anglo-Mysore war (1799): conclusive; led to the fall of Seringapatam. English chose a Hindu boy from the earlier ruling royal family i.e., Wadiyars, as the Maharaja and imposed subsidiary alliance on him.