Srirangapatna, Mysore, Karnataka, India - Info by Sundar Palaniappan

The town which was associated with true patriots

The town of Srirangapatna is located 14kms from Mysore and is located on the Mysore – Bangalore highway.

The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form an island. The town takes its name from the celebrated Vaishnavite temple SriRanganathaswamy, which dominates the town.

Ganga dynasty rulers of the area built this temple in the 9th century.

Tradition holds that all the major three islands formed in the river Kaveri are consecrated to Sri Ranganathaswamy. These three major island towns of Kaveri, which constitute the main pilgrimage centers dedicated to Ranganathaswamy, are:

- Adi Ranga - at Srirangapattana

- Madhya Ranga - at Shivasamudra

- Antya Ranga - at Srirangam

Tiger of Mysore

In the mid of 15th century, the Vijayanagar king built a fort here and in the early part 17th century it became the capital of the Mysore Wodeyar rajas. However, in 1761 AD Haider Ali deposed Mysore Wodeyar rajas and took over the possession of Srirangapatna. For a brief period Srirangapatna remained in the hands of Haider Ali and his son great Tippu Sultan. ( the tiger of Mysore ).

The great warrior

However, during the fourth Anglo – Mysore war ( 1799 AD ), while defending the Srirangapatna from the British siege, Tippu sultan fell to the bullet of a British soldier.

Gumbaz

This tomb and mosque was built by Tippu sultan as a tribute to his illustrious father Haider Ali ( 1722 – 1784 AD ) after his death.

Gumbaz enshrines the cenotaphs of Haider Ali, his wife Fakr-Un-Nisa and Tippu Sultan. Gumbaz also houses the Masjid-E-Aksa.