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Dr. Vijay Mallya, National Working President of Janata Party, created a history of sorts when he personally unveiled a magnificent treasure of Karnataka - "The Sword of Tippu Sultan" - in the presence of Janab Sahebzada Sayed Mohammed Ilyas Mian Maharaj and Sahebzada Sayed Mohammed Ayaz Mian Maharaj of Dargah Huzoor Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (RA) Ajmeer.

Great legacy:
Dr. Mallya bought the majestic sword at an auction in London with the aim of restoring this great legacy to the people of Karnataka. Addressing a crowded media conference at Hotel Ashoka here at Bangalore, Dr. Mallya disclosed that he bought the sword for Rs. 1.57 crore in September last year.

War Trophy:
History chronicles that the sword of Tippu Sultan was taken by storm on 4th May 1799 after the fall of Srirangapattana. The army then presented the sword to Major General Baird through their Commander Lt. General Harris.

This sword is very important due to its close personal association with Tippu Sultan, being undoubtedly a part of his personal arsenal. Its unimpeachable provenance and contemporary documented links with both Tipu and Baird, represents one of the most evocative trophies of war to be sold in an auction for many years.

The sword of Tippu Sultan has a calligraphic hilt with a broad, straight, wide single -edged blade and velvet - covered silver gilt - mounted scabbard. The overall length (in scabbard) 42 inches (1079 mm); blade length 36 inches (227 mm).

The polished bright steel hilt of standard talwar form with a dished disc pommel convey pommel cap fitted with a gold loop for a sword knot, bellied grip and short, wasted quilons curving slightly towards the tip of the blade, the hilt itself canted slightly forward and inlaid overall in gold.

The straight back sword blade, 1.5 inches (38 mm) wide at the forte and with a double -edged point 10 inches (254 mm) long, inlaid in gold on the outside with the orb and parasol mark ascribed by some authorities to Imperial Mughal swordsmiths.

Prized possession:
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mallya said, "It is indeed an overwhelming feeling to be able to restore this sword to the soil of Karnataka. That this sword should have been chosen for presentation to Baird by those who had served under him at the assault upon Srirangapattana, clearly demonstrated the age-old ritual of the Trophy; taking an enemy's most prized possessions and presenting it to the victor. It is a humbling experience to be able to announce to the people of Karnataka that the sword of Tippu Sultan has now been brought back to the land of the illustrious monarch".

This legendary sword of Tippu Sultan has taken on a greater significance, as calligraphic hilts are amongst the rarest type of hilt from the Indian sub - continent and has extremely high standards of manufacturing detail. The combination of what is essentially a talwar hilt, with a wide backsword blade that is probably of Indian manufacture, rather than a European import, renders this sword, a sulekha.

Historian's view:
According to the famous historian P.S. Rawson, this type of sword is associated with Southern Indian and particularly with South-eastern India, Madras, Mysore, the Maratha territories and the Deccan (where the form is called a dhup).

The presence of such swords in Mughal paintings - where they are shown being worn by courtiers or being received as gifts by the Emperor - would explain not only the status of this sword, but also the fact that the blade is probably of Mughal manufacturer, with an inscription, The Sword of the Kingdom (or Ruler) "Sam sir al malik", proving that this sword must have princely association.

A just ruler:
Tippu was a just ruler with a pious bent of mind. This accounts for the presence, in the very finest gold inlay, on the hilt of five of the qualities of God and of two invocations of Him.

These qualities have been translated as O! The Helper, O! The Opener, O! The Protector, O! The Aide and O! The Supporter! These invocations call upon God by name O! God. Each of the qualities is repeated six times, as is one of invocations, making a total of 36 occurrences.

The nature of the inscriptions, together with the remarkably high quality of the inlaid calligraphy in which they are rendered, implies without doubt that this is the sword of a very high ranking warrior.