Today I visited Srirangapatnam (Seringapatnam for British, and I don’t just mean Wilkie Collins), the old stronghold of Tipu Sultan. His summer palace (later taken on by Wellesley, Duke of Wellington), the Mysore wars, his sons, the legend and Lion : all felt so alive! #history The frescoes, mosaics and fine craftsmanship of the summer palace are breathtaking (Wellington must’ve been awestruck like me!).
A solemn cenotaph marks the purported place where Tipu fell. Further away, a grand Gumbaz houses his & his parents’ tombs.
#history #TipuSultan

In wake of #Coronation colonialism & empire are being grappled with new fervour. We’d never see a Robert Clive statue in modern India. His 🇫🇷counterpart (my recent photos) looms over Pondicherry. I’ve a connection w/ Joseph-François Dupleix ex-Governor General of French India 1/5 Nemesis to #Clive & East India Company (discussed brilliantly @EmpirePodUK w/ @tweeter_anita @DalrympleWill + read his book The Anarchy), Dupleix harboured aspirations of establishing a French empire in India. Oddly, my metro station in #Paris was also named in his glory. 2/5