The Lone Warrior - Srirangapatna. KTK

Srirangapatna (also spelled Shrirangapattana; anglicized to Seringapatam during the British Raj) is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located near the city of Mysore, it is of great religious, cultural and historic importance.

Ranganathaswamy (Lying Vishnu) - The town derives its name from here

The town of Srirangapatna was too far for me even after I moved to Bangalore in 2005. There were chidhood stories I recall and then there was the ever dependent DD telecast who ran the series on Tipu Sultan. At that time I had never ever thought I would come to form such a strong connection with him. So much that we shared our birthdays didn't even occur to me.

Snaana Ghat

From 2005 - 2012 I might have visited Srirangapatna as many times as a schoolchild might visit his nearby museum. Each visit my heart would open but I couldn't hear much. This time though I wasn't sure if it were my camera lens or the quest to match the writer's story that opened my eyes as well. I was seeing Srirangapatna as if it were the era of 1800s. The era of Tipu Sultan. There were conversations that were pro and anti Tipu but in my mind there was no doubt that I could hear, see, smell and touch Tipu's presence from Ganjam to Sangam and Ghosai ghat to Jamia Masjid, from Ranganathaswamy to Thomas Inman's dungeon.

Col Bailey's Dungeon

Very usually the crowd would swift you away from one corner to another almost like a pack of birds. You would have the will but the chaos just wouldn't let you sense unless it means so much to you. And I am glad it did.

The Gol Gumbaz, Tipu, Hyder & Fakhr-un-isa's graves

Dariya Daulat Bagh captures various
battles and the court proceedings 

This story with National Geographic Traveler's has been the toughest so far because the story and the space meant so much to the writer, I had to almost get into those shoes. If I would actually sit at any of those bastions or the river banks or watch the Minarets of Masjid or look down the long alley that leads to Ranganathaswamy or merely enter the Watergate, I can feel the strength and courage of Tipu. How he single handedly stood between British and India. How he resembles today's Sid or a Rockstar or a Karan Shergill. How he despite all odds represented solidarity, hope and beauty all at the same time. How easily he left the mask of an artist and took over the mask of being a warrior - The Lone Warrior.

The Water Gate that was allowed to breached which led 

to Tipu's downfall

There is much to see and absorb in his territory, you will need to hear him, feel him and he'll guide you. Not only past his life but in yours as well.