Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore introduced the first iron-cased metal-cylinder rocket, with 1,200 specialised troops. His son, Tipu Sultan (1750-99) further expanded on the use of artillery and was the first to utilise successfully modern-style rocket artillery. Only scanty information is available on Tipu Sultan’s forces from the writings of contemporary British historians who appear prejudiced with the ingenuity and initiative of a native, who dared oppose their Raj.
Fateh-ul-mujahidden (Triumph of the Holy Warrior) by Zainul-abidin Shustari is the only work which deals with the organisation and administration of his forces, which included foot infantry, cavalry and artillery, divided into Kuchurries of Piadeh Uskur (Infantry Division) and Sawar Uskur (Cavalry Division); Kushoons (Brigades) and Teeps (Battalions), though not on a standard brick-organisation.
William McLeodi says that Tipu was the only Prince who persevered in disciplining and organising his army after a regular plan; he would welcome any change without prejudice. While making good use of French military advisers, he changed French words of command to Persian and Turkish and also the names of weapons: Banduk (matchlock) to Tufang; Tope (Cannon) to Daraksh (Lightning) and Ban (Rocket) to Shihab (Falling Star). He never allowed a large body of troops to be away from his immediate supervision nor the same commander remain with the same troops for a long time (inherent fear of a coup?) He generally tried to improve the quantity and quality of Infantry and Artillery, between 1791 and 99 at the cost of Irregular Cavalry.
Hukmnameh (Ordinance) dated March 25, 1793 addressed by Tipu to the Meer Meeran (Military Department) and his subsequent hand-written notes are the main sources of information. Artillery was not a separate Arm nor on a standard organisation but was mostly made integral to the Kushoons and to Cavalry, though some were retained as a battering ram (siege weapon). “Mahomedan arms of the Deccan and Mysore may be traced to the time of Hyder Ali and his successor (son) Tipu, both of whom.....were at great pains to get the best possible arms and to adopt the European improvements in them. The confidence of Sultan Tipu was placed chiefly on his artillery and muskets. His manufactories called Tara Mandal were established in four places: Seringapatam (Srirangapatna), Bengaluru, Chitaldurg (Chitradurga) and Nagar..... At the capture of Seringapatam, a great variety of arms were taken. These were sent home by the East India Company and many of them presented as trophies to distinguished persons.” For this reason alone, many of Tipu’s guns cannot be traced in India. In fact, only three of them are in the Tipu Museum in Darya-e-daulat (summer palace of Tipu) in Srirangapatna: while a six-pounder brass gun is displayed, a nine-pounder iron gun lies outside facing west; and a 24’-long iron gun is in a place called the dungeon. Very recently on November 22, 2012, two iron guns 12’ long and an iron shot were found while digging for Metro track in Bengaluru and have been moved to Venkatappa Art Gallery where they lie in the open! Tipu’s Artillery Weapons mainly consisted of: Guns, Mortars, Howitzers and Rockets; but only a passing reference is available of Mortars, Rockets and Howitzers, in some books, as follows:
“Tipu possessed large quantities of British and French arms, but he gave preference to the things made in Mysore, though they were not always so good....His field guns were generally cast in Mysore with the help of French artificers and being larger than those of English and having a much longer range, had a great effect in action. This gave ... Tipu considerable advantage over the English in cannonades.”
“Most of the cannon cast during the reign of Tipoo were ornamented with the representation of a tiger devouring a European.”
“The cannon ...were very numerous, all his brass six pounders, 51 in number, were said to be English. The others in general were cast in his foundry and curiously ornamented: one brass 42 pounder and one brass six inch howitzer and a great number of his iron ordnance were likewise English. It was said he did not succeed in casting iron so well as brass. He employed British and French mechanics, in the manufacture of cannon. ... 30 artisans were sent from France, two of each trade/profession—-founders, glass-blowers, armourers, watch-makers and so on. Some of his guns had lion-mouth and his muskets with two or three barrels.”
“In Mysore iron is made from the black sand found in the channels of all the rivers. After being smelted, the iron was being used by Tipoo for making into shot by hammering. Near Seringapatam, there are five forges where steel is made.”
“Tipu took the tiger as his emblem. His soldiers’ uniform and his cannon were decorated with tiger stripes, the same device being shown on his guns and other paraphernalia.”
A study of the Table on “Abstract of Ordnance, Ammunition and Carriages found in the Fort Island of Seringapatam on May 20, 1799” (not being reproduced here due to its enormous volume) enabled me to arrive at certain deductions as follows:
Guns were made of Iron or Brass and were named according to their shell-weight from Half-pounder, to a 42- pounder.
Mortars, also made of Iron or Brass, were named according to their calibre from 2.5 to 15 inches; but iron ones did not exist below seven inches. Howitzers were made only of brass and were named according to their calibre from eight to 16 inches.
Rockets: Tipu deployed as many as 5,000 rocketeers at a time. “The rocket, a weapon hitherto held almost in derision because, seen in small numbers, it is easily avoided, performed perhaps better service to the Sultan than any other instrument.” He successfully used them against the British during the Battle of Pollilur, 1780 and Anglo-Mysore Wars. The Mysore rockets of this period were much more advanced than what the British had seen, chiefly because of the use of iron tubes that tightly packed the gunpowder propellant, enabling higher thrust and longer range (1.5 km) for the missile. Rocket artillery cannot usually match the accuracy and sustained rate of fire of conventional gun-artillery, but a large mass of explosives simultaneously is delivered by modern day MBRL. Tipu provided the precursor to it and had even fixed swords to small rockets of which many reached the target in a lot in one go, to cause not only mayhem but also severe casualties! This is depicted in murals in British Military Museum. ‘The motor casing of this rocket is made of steel with multi nozzle holes with the sword blade as the warhead. The propellant used was packed gunpowder. The rocket weighed about two kg, with about one kg of propellant. Fifty mm in diameter and about 250 mm length, the range performance is reported 900 metre to 1.5 km. Designers analysed and confirmed their performance. What a simple and elegant design effectively used in war”!
Tipu’s foundries had the capability of producing a large variety of artillery weapons and ammunition. This can be gauged from the 929 weapons (176 of which were 12 pounders and over); 4,89,400 rounds of ammunition (of which were 4,12,000 round iron shots of four to 42 lbs) and 421 carriages, found in the Fort, after his defeat at Seringapatam in 1799.
As per the Hukmnameh, “The (two) guns (six pounders in the Jowk of Shurkh Andaz) were drawn each by 12 bullocks, having three men each (drivers) attached.... The two tumbrils were drawn by 40 bullocks with 10 drivers attached... There was an ammunition cart to each kushoon, drawn by 20 bullocks.”
It also refers to seven elephants attached to heavy guns... (It might have been 10 battering guns @one elephant per two guns, with two spare).
As seen from a table in McKenzie’s book, bombshells had various weights but were tightly packed with similar quantity of powder. While Jumaadars and Privates of Jowk of rocketmen attached to the kushoon carried two each; reserve of 108 rockets was carried by two camels.
Brig. N. Suryanarayanan (Retd) was an instructor at the School of Artillery, Devlali, and at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington

Tumbrils and carts drawn by bullocks were used for other ammunition; but the quantity carried is not known, except that “... each bullock could carry one-and-a-half maunds (144 lbs)... each bullock could carry eight x 19 pounder (152 lbs) or six x 25 pounder(150 lbs) shots”.
While laying down duties of Officers and NCOs, Chapter 4, Section 4 in Fateh-ul-mujahidden also laid down responsibility for holding & maintenance of guns: “No exercises will be held on Thursdays; instead, these days will be used for the inspection of arms, guns and equipment.” The Sultan had also laid down that “the Sipahdar/commander of a kushoon shall give the charge of guns, tumbrils and ammunition stores belonging to the kushoon in particular charge to the Risaldaar, who was to take care that they were in readiness for service. Repairs and deficiencies were to be reported to the Sipahdar. Guns and tumbrils on a march and in action were to be attached to Risalas....’
Being a part of Infantry/Cavalry, uniform of the gunners was the same: “...a jacket of cotton of mixed purple colour, with spots in imitation of those of a tiger, turban of green (for those enrolled in Mysore, called Zumra)/ red/yellow (for Ghair-Zumra) and short loose trousers. In a not-so-clear and only painting, this can be seen in Darya-e-daulat. Pay-scales varied depending on the type of weapon on which employed from three Cantarai Pagodas and nine Fanams for a Gunner; four pagodas to a Jumadar and up to six or nine Pagodas for Surkheels and 17 for a Jowkdar. No information available on the higher-level officers.
During Ceremonials and Festivities, 31 Gun Salute was given to the Sultan on Birthday and on ascension to the throne; and 21 on Sultan’s victories and Id days.
Sultan and his Gunners held guns in high esteem and regarded them as Colours, as we do today. “...ascending the next height... guns began to relax but the infantry... covering their cannon, according to the uniform policy of the Dynasty, which never risked guns against the enemy. ...Tipoo who was in the rear, was anxiously urging the escape of his guns, of which many had been abandoned but were soon recovered.... and only one fell into the hands of the British. (But) only in the final assault on Seringapatam ... 929 pieces were lost.” But, neither the Sultan nor the bulk of his army lived to see it. His artillery also captured and put to use 37 guns at Travancore, six with detachments at Sattimungalam (Sathyamangalam), two or three at Perumal Koil and a few with detachments at Coimbatore. He had 20 ‘Line of Battle Ships’ (with 10 of 72 guns each; and nine of 62 each: no details of the 20th) and 20 Frigates (13 of them with 46 each) distributed in Jumalabad (Mangalore), Wajibabad and Majidabad (Sadashivgarh).
Tipu made use of the tactics of Harassing Fire by Rockets and Mortars by night to disturb enemy camps. In defence, his frontline was defended by 100 guns and three times that number in the Fort and the Island. In attack, he placed his guns such that while firing enfilade, they could destroy the whole of the enemy trenches. Knowing the importance of astronomy and meteorology to Artillery, Tipu had stacked his library with 2,000 books in Arabic, Persian and Hindustani, mostly in manuscript.
Tipu is stated to have said that he would “rather live two days as a tiger than 200 years as sheep.” He had declared many times that it was his guns and aggressive spirit that gave him victory over the British.