... Hyder Ali or Haidar 'Ali (c. 1722 - 1782), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Hyder Ali was a Muslim soldier-adventurer, who, followed by his son Tipu Sultan, became the most formidable Asiatic rival the British had ever encountered in India. He was the great-grandson of a fakir or wandering ascetic of Islam, from Gulbarga, Deccan. His father was a naik or chief constable at Budikota, near Kolar in present-day Karnataka. He was born in 1722, or according to other authorities 1717. An elder brother, who like himself, was , at an early age, turned out into the ... [full article] (59 views)

... Tipu Sultan, also known as The Tiger of Mysore (December 10, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapatnam), was the first son of Haider Ali by his second wife, Fatima or Fakr-un-nissa. He ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from the time of his father's death in 1782 until his own demise in 1799. Tipu was a learned man and an able soldier. He was reputed to be a good poet. He was also a strongly religious man, and practised the Shia branch of Islam. He built a church, the first in Mysore, at the request of the French. He was a noted linguist, Islamic patriot and a freedom fighter. ... [full article] (58 views)