London: A ring belonging to Mysore's legendary ruler Tipu Sultan's has been sold at an auction for Rs. 1.5 crore on Friday in London. Auction house Christie's said the 41.2 gram ring was sold to an undisclosed bidder for almost 10 times its price.
Tipu Sultan had died at the hands of the British in 1799. The ring is notable because it was inscribed with the name of Lord Rama. The ring is thought to have been taken from him by a British general as he lay dead at his palace in Srirangapatna, which was his capital.
It is inscribed with the name of Rama in raised Devanagari script. Some say this shows that the Muslim king was more sympathetic to Hindus. But, others argue, Tipu was a despot and a fanatic Muslim ruler who forcibly converted millions of Hindus to Islam. He was known as the Tiger of Mysore for his aggression towards the British rulers.
The admirers of the Mysore sultan in Karnataka wanted the state government to buy the ring and keep it at state museum or at the Tipu Palace in Bangalore. They had even met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who too hails from Mysore, regarding the matter.
Professor S Settar, a renowned historian from Karnataka had warned that the ring might be hidden from public view if it was sold to a private bidder. He had urged the Indian government to "make use of all available avenues, legal and diplomatic, to recover the ring".
Heritage conservation groups from across the world also criticised the auction.
According to the BBC, the ring was previously listed for sale by Christie's in 2012 but was then withdrawn from sale.
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