Tipu Sultan and Malabar: A Conundrum of History, Fiction and Colonial Discourse

History aims to provide a factual account of past events, but the intertwined nature of history and fiction at times leads to misconceptions and misrepresentations. The history of Malabar, a province of Kerala was often shaped by such misconceptions, shaped by colonial objectives. Malabar Coast became a strategic position for trade and military interventions for Tipu Sultan and the English East India Company. Being a formidable enemy of the English East India Company, Tipu Sultan, the King of Mysore was represented as a cruel and fanatical ruler. The English historians chose Tipu’s military campaigns and administrative policies in Malabar to substantiate the colonial ethos and vilify his personality. The present study Tipu Sultan and Malabar: A Conundrum of History, Fiction and Colonial Discourse attempts to explore how the British historians James Mill and Mark Wilks employ historiography as a tool to criticize Tipu Sultan and justify the actions of the British East India Company. The paper examines how the colonial ideologies of the English East India Company was maintained through the historical narratives.