mysore state of hyder ali

8/14/2019 Mysore State of Hyder Ali

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Mysore State of Hyder Ali


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Following is a rare cutting of a newspaper from my fathers collection. When youbecome old and want to search yourself, you need someone to guide you. That is thecase with me. Now that I go through old papers of my father I need one of my elder toconfirm. I feel how unfortunate it is to miss your father when you want to know of hisdeeds and achievements.

He used to tell us how one of our ancestors Syed Yakoob Tawakali, very outspoken,three generations before him was a Governor of Cuddpah, one of the provinces ofMysore. It was during the time of Hyder Ali. Later on, when Tipu Sultan took over hecould not coop up with the straight forward attitude and boldness of his governors and

they parted ways.

When the British Empire took over they recognized it and the village Channapatana towhich we belonged was exempted from any tax for their entire rule. I miss my fatherwho could tell me the names and confirm the dates.

Syed Jaffer


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The memorandum together with Notes on the background was presented by Syed AllaBux Secretary General YOUNG MUSLIMS ORGANISATION MYSORE on April 30 1946

Dawn, Page Four Thursday, May 2, 1946

Memorandum to Cabinet Mission

Mysore Muslims Demands Basedon Their Historical Position in the

State.By Dawn Mysore CorrespondentTHE following is the text of the memorandum on the historical position and demands ofthe Muslims of Mysore State, submitted to Lord Pathick - Lawrence, leader of the BritishCabinet mission.

1799, the year in which Seringapatam fell to British happened to be the year of foundingthe existing Mysore state and of installing in power the present dynasty. Before this, theraja of Mysore was a Palligar (Chieftain) of 33 villages having descended from a viceroyof the Vijayanagar Empire. The Moghul Emperor at Delhi was the paramount authority

in those Days, subsequent to the fall of Vijayanagar Empire. This Palligar paid an yearlysubsidy to the Moghuls through the Governor of the Province Sira. Hyder Ali by hispersonal efforts rose from a Sepoy, in the service of the Raja of Mysore, to theGovernorship of the Province of Sira. In the beginning he acted under the authority ofthe Moghul Emperor and later the Moghul at Delhi recognized him as an independentSovereign by conferring the title of Nawab on him. In the meantime the Palligar ofMysore which was a vessel of the Moghuls automatically became a subordinate ofHyder Ali. But as Hyder Ali had served under the Mysore Raja he respected him somuch that even without a demand he recognized the sovereignty of the Raja over the 33villages and did not in any way interfere with his internal administration. The subsidythat was being paid to the Sira Subedari was waived.

A MUSLIM STATEHyder Alis Stat was a theocratic Muslim State by reason of having a Muslim at its headand by virtue of the Islamic laws of administration enforced therein. A Muslim State wasthus carved excluding the areas administered by the Raja which continued to exist as aseparate Palligari. The independence of the state was recognized by the MoghulEmperor at Delhi, by the Caliphate of Constantinople and by several other European andAsiatic countries by the diplomatic relations with this Muslim State. The very style of the


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name of the State Sultanate Khudadad which recognizes the Islamic theory ofparamountcy is a further argument that this State was recognized as Muslim Stateinternationally. The Palligari of Mysore had voluntarily allied itself with the State in itsforeign policy and defence, so much so that it had become a protectorate of the MuslimState. In modern terms of State-craft the States paramountcy vested in the Muslims andthat paramountcy was untransferable without the consent of its custodians.

EAST INDIA COMPANY

The east India Company, chartered as it was, a trading concern, had no right by anycode of morality or existing international customs to conquer territories, administer them,dispose them off or constitute itself a body charged with responsibility of governing apeople. They had no authority to transgress the very object for which the Company waschartered. Nor can the actions of the Company be validated by a transfer of their self-assumed powers to the British Crown, for the assumption of the posers itself makes theirtransfer null and void, more so where the Indian State are concerned.

THE REAL RULERSIn the case of Mysore there are many more arguments besides this. One such is thatthe conquest of Seringapatam reduced this Muslim State to the status of vanquishednation, but under no international custom does a vanquished nation constitute a chattletransferable from one to another at the will of the conqueror. The Palligar who wasrecognized by the Company as the Ruler of Mysore was not entitled to this privilege,firstly, because he was an alien to this Muslim State and for this reason the Raja must beconstrued to be representative of the East India Company acting under the authority andon behalf of the Company; Secondly, the British have admitted this as their policy inregard to Mysore and given effect to that Policy in their interference from time to time in

the administration of the state and later in their direct assumption of the authority to rulethe State as a Province of British India under a Chief Commissioner. Having hadunequivocal assurances from the Raja the State was again restored to him. Thisrendition proves that the British never intended to recognize the present ruling family asthe real rulers of Mysore. Needless to emphasize, these transactions do not invalidateor efface the paramontcy that rest with Musalmans of Mysore and so they are real rulersof Mysore and should be recognised as such.

MINIMUM DEMANDS

The transfer of the responsibility of governing India to Indians naturally necessitates theconsideration of the historical facts summed up above. That this is a Muslim State andshould be recognized as such by the powers that be is the most logical demand in thecircumstances. If old ideologies like kingship have become obsolete, the positionbecomes easier. The Muslims of Mysore are prepared to share the responsibility ofgoverning the State with nonMuslims, Muslims at parity with non-Muslims, in acompletely responsible Government of the type of Republic. If the institution of kingshipis retained. Muslims demand that some direct descendent of Tippu should be installedon the throne of Mysore and he by a proclamation shall grant full responsible


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government to his people with certain, absolutely necessary safeguards and residuarypowers for the protection of Muslims interests.

SET RIGHT THE WRONGS

Other matters arising out of the change may well be left to be adjusted between theGovernment that will be constituted on the above lines and the neighboringGovernments and peoples-especially matters such as the restoration of the territoriesceded over to different powers or taken over to be governed as part of British India afterthe fall of Seringapatam, whether it desires to be an independent state or to join anyfederation that might come to exist in the meantime and the foreign relations of the stateif it chooses to be independent.

As the present state of affairs is unable to satisfy the Muslims of Mysore and as thelogicality and desirability of such a change cannot be questioned it is expedient that theCabinet Delegation proceed to consider the above the settle the claims of the Muslims ofMysore and set right the wrongs done to them and blunders committed by the East India

Company before they transfer power to Indian hands if the demands of the MysoreMuslims are ignored in the new scheme of things, they will have nobody whosesympathy, support or help they could claim except World opinion.

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mysore state of hyder ali

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