Anwar Urges Asians to Rethink Colonial History as Malaysia Showcases Tipu Sultan's Legacy

A Mysore Exhibition Opens a Debate About Who Tells History

Nearly 100 artefacts at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia are bringing the story of two rulers of Mysore into a wider debate about how Asia remembers its past. At the launch of the exhibition, Malaysia's Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, urged Malaysians and other Asians to reconsider histories shaped by colonial powers and give greater attention to their own historical figures.

The exhibition, More Than a Day as a Tiger: The Legacy of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1761-1799), examines rulers who resisted the expansion of the British East India Company in southern India. Open until January 11, 2026, it brings together weapons, manuscripts, textiles and artworks to explore their military achievements, diplomacy and government.

Anwar presented Tipu Sultan as a figure whose courage, technological innovation and religious tolerance deserve closer study. His appeal connected a museum exhibition about an Indian kingdom with a Malaysian concern: how people understand their identity when much of their history has been told from the viewpoint of former colonial rulers.

Anwar, explaining why historical accounts deserve renewed scrutiny, said:

history is often written by the winners or from the perspective of colonial rulers.

For visitors, the exhibition offers a concrete way into that discussion. A sword, a firearm or a surviving fragment of a throne can reveal the ambitions and abilities of a society whose history might otherwise be remembered mainly through its defeat. The museum is using these objects to bring Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan back into public view, more than two centuries after they ruled.

What Anwar Wants Readers of History to Reconsider

Colonial narratives are accounts of the past written largely from the perspective of colonial powers, particularly Western empires such as Britain. They tend to place the achievements and judgments of the colonizers at the centre, while giving less space to local leaders, communities and resistance movements. Some also misrepresent those societies.

For Malaysia and other former colonies, that perspective can shape how citizens understand their own country. A history centred on British administration, for example, can leave readers with less knowledge of local political leadership, cultural achievements or opposition to foreign control.

Anwar extended his argument beyond the recording of particular events to the way entire subjects are studied. Describing the influence of Western interpretations, the prime minister said:

the discipline of history, culture, and society is often dictated by Western viewpoints.

His call is for a more balanced and inclusive account, with Asian people taking a greater role in interpreting their past. Reconstructing history in this way means adding local experiences and perspectives, allowing readers to understand resistance, leadership and innovation alongside the actions of colonial governments.

The Ideas Behind the Appeal

Syed Hussein Alatas and Edward Said provide an intellectual foundation for the argument Anwar raised. Alatas called for history to be reconstructed with the voices and experiences of colonized people included. His approach gives attention to those who lived under colonial rule, rather than allowing colonial authorities to dominate the account.

Said's work on Orientalism examined how Western scholarship and writing portrayed Eastern societies as exotic, backward or inferior. In simple terms, his argument concerns the power to describe another society and make that description seem authoritative. Such portrayals helped justify colonial domination and continue to influence the study of history, culture and society.

By referring to Said, Anwar placed his remarks within a wider effort to decolonize knowledge. That means reconsidering both the events being taught and the assumptions used to explain them. His appeal therefore concerns intellectual independence as well as political and cultural autonomy.

The consequences reach beyond museums. Historical accounts influence collective memory, education, cultural pride and international relations. When colonial perspectives dominate, they can encourage feelings of inferiority or dependency and obscure the achievements of local societies. Giving those societies a fuller place in history offers people more examples from which to understand their identity and address present challenges.

Two Rulers Who Resisted British Expansion

Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan ruled Mysore in southern India between 1761 and 1799. Their period of rule was marked by resistance to the British East India Company as it expanded its control across the Indian subcontinent. Across the four Anglo-Mysore wars, British forces repeatedly encountered the quality and ingenuity of Mysore's weapons.

Both rulers were Muslim leaders governing a region with a Hindu majority. They sought to unite a diverse population while resisting an expanding foreign power. Tipu became especially closely associated with that struggle, earning the enduring identity of the Tiger of Mysore.

Tipu Sultan's outlook is captured in the declaration famously attributed to him:

It is better to live as a tiger for a day than as a sheep for a hundred years.

The main dates connect the rulers' history with the exhibition now examining their legacy:

• 1761 to 1799: The period of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan's rule covered by the exhibition.
• 1799: Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed, and British forces plundered Mysore's treasures.
• January 11, 2026: The scheduled closing date of the exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.

Anwar's interest in Tipu extends beyond resistance on the battlefield. He presented the ruler as a model of diplomatic skill, commercial vision and tolerance, connecting the struggle against colonial expansion with the practical work of governing a diverse kingdom.

Weapons, Rockets and the Remains of a Throne

Mysore's cannons, firearms and rockets form a central part of its technological legacy. Its rocket technology was sufficiently advanced for the British to copy it for their own armies. The weapons help explain why the kingdom's military achievements remain an important part of Tipu Sultan's reputation.

The exhibition includes some of Tipu's most innovative firearms and his finest sword, which he reportedly kept beside him while he slept. Together with guns and cannons, these objects allow visitors to examine the tools through which Mysore resisted British expansion.

Tipu's defeat in 1799 brought destruction and dispersal to the royal collection. British forces plundered Mysore's treasures, and his throne was dismantled for its gold and jewels. A gold finial set with gems, one of the few surviving pieces of that throne, is among the objects on display.

Tiger stripes and other tiger motifs on Tipu's weapons, uniforms and regalia express the identity associated with his rule. There are no official portraits of Tipu Sultan, so the exhibition evokes his persona through these repeated symbols. The surviving objects connect his public image with the military and royal world in which he lived.

A Collection Built Over Two Decades

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia describes the exhibition as the largest mounted on Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan outside India and the United Kingdom. Its nearly 100 artefacts include swords, guns, cannons, manuscripts, textiles and artworks, bringing several aspects of their lives into one display.

Many of the objects were acquired over two decades. Some were once thought lost to history. Their collection in Kuala Lumpur gives Malaysian visitors an opportunity to encounter material that helps explain a kingdom and two rulers who remain unfamiliar to much of the public.

Lucien de Guise, the museum's head of curatorial affairs, described the exhibition as an effort to "reclaim history." Explaining the museum's aim of restoring attention to the two rulers, he said:

These two people ruled more than 200 years ago but are largely completely forgotten, except in southern and northern India. The important thing is that we're trying to revive their reputation here.

The range of objects supports that ambition. Weapons convey military skill, while manuscripts, textiles and artworks widen the picture to include learning, royal culture and the life of the court. The exhibition brings those strands together rather than presenting Tipu solely through the circumstances of his final defeat.

Tipu's Record Beyond the Battlefield

Tipu Sultan was also a scholar who assembled an extensive library. He wrote a manual on warfare and recorded and analyzed his dreams. These activities show the range of interests associated with a ruler most often remembered for his military campaigns.

His changes to Mysore's coinage and calendar reflected a commitment to modernization and government. Coinage concerns the money a state issues, while a calendar provides a shared system for marking dates. Both were practical parts of organizing the kingdom.

Tipu's diplomacy reached beyond Mysore. He worked to unite Muslim and Hindu sultanates and sought French support against the British. His commercial vision and efforts to build international relationships form another part of the legacy Anwar wants Malaysians to examine.

Religious tolerance is central to Anwar's interpretation of that legacy. The prime minister highlighted Tipu's protection of Hindu temples, including the ancient temple in Mysore, as evidence of inclusive leadership. For Anwar, a Muslim ruler protecting places of worship in a region with a Hindu majority offers a historical example relevant to societies seeking unity across religious differences.

Why This History Matters in Malaysia

Malaysia's own experience of British colonial rule gives the exhibition a connection beyond an interest in another country's royal past. Independence, national identity and the treatment of local achievements in colonial accounts are themes that connect the Malaysian experience with the story being presented from Mysore.

Anwar acknowledged that the two rulers are unfamiliar to many people in Malaysia. Explaining the gap the exhibition could help address, the prime minister said:

Malaysians have historically had limited knowledge of Tipu Sultan and Haider Ali's legacy.

Malaysia's diverse society also gives particular relevance to Anwar's discussion of religious tolerance and multicultural diplomacy. Tipu's efforts to govern across religious differences provide a subject for reflection on the relationship between diversity and unity.

His attention to military technology, commerce and government connects with Malaysia's aspirations for development and greater capacity to rely on its own abilities. Anwar is encouraging the public to look to a broader range of historical models, including Asian figures whose achievements receive limited attention in colonial accounts.

For Malaysian history itself, the same approach means giving fuller recognition to indigenous leaders, resistance movements and interactions among communities. Including those experiences alongside colonial administration allows a broader understanding of how the country's past developed and how its people contributed to it.

Taking the Exhibition Beyond Display Cases

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is organizing workshops and sharing sessions throughout the exhibition period. An illustrated catalogue is also available for visitors who want a fuller account of Mysore's rulers and the objects associated with them.

The exhibition runs until January 11, 2026, with entrance fees described as affordable to encourage broad participation. The educational activities give visitors, particularly younger people, further ways to engage with figures they may not have encountered in detail before.

The museum's approach connects the viewing of artefacts with discussion and learning. A weapon can introduce the history of military innovation, while a surviving throne ornament can lead to the story of conquest and the dispersal of royal possessions. Manuscripts and artworks offer other routes into understanding the rulers' lives.

Bringing these objects and activities together supports the museum's effort to make the past accessible. It also gives practical form to Anwar's appeal: people can reconsider historical narratives through specific people, surviving objects and the experiences attached to them.

A Wider Asian Conversation About the Past

Anwar's call belongs to a broader movement across Asia and the Global South to reclaim a greater role in explaining history. Countries seeking to assert their place in the world are also revisiting how resistance, innovation and leadership have been portrayed.

His discussions with leaders from the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia place that interest alongside regional diplomacy and ASEAN cooperation. Shared histories of resistance and cooperation can contribute to a sense of regional identity and solidarity, while giving different societies points of connection.

The argument links political independence with the ability to interpret culture and history on local terms. For Malaysia, the exhibition provides a specific opportunity to pursue that discussion through Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, rather than leaving it as an abstract debate about colonialism.

Anwar's central appeal is to widen the historical picture. Mysore's weapons, diplomacy, scholarship and religious life give visitors several ways to understand its rulers. Bringing those elements together allows their achievements and resistance to occupy a fuller place in Asian historical memory.

Key Points

• Anwar Ibrahim urged Malaysians and other Asians to reassess colonial narratives and give greater attention to local historical perspectives.
• The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia exhibition covers Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan's rule in Mysore between 1761 and 1799.
• Nearly 100 artefacts include weapons, manuscripts, textiles, artworks and a surviving gold finial from Tipu's throne.
• Anwar highlighted Tipu's resistance to British expansion, technological innovation, diplomacy and protection of Hindu temples.
• The appeal draws on ideas associated with Syed Hussein Alatas and Edward Said about whose voices shape history.
• Workshops, sharing sessions and an illustrated catalogue accompany the exhibition, which runs until January 11, 2026.