Over 1,000 Unexploded Rockets From The 18th Century Were Found At A Fort In India And Are Believed To Have Belonged To A Muslim Warrior King

Later, they inspired the Congreve rockets that the British used during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

“Records say that Tipu Sultan’s father, Hyder Ali, was the first to use metal-cased rockets. He also had an armory and factory at Nagara Fort, a strategically very important city. There is a strong possibility that this site was used as a storage point or a factory for the rockets,” said G. Venkatesh, the commissioner of DAMH.

After his father’s death in 1782, Tipu Sultan came into power. At that time, Mysore had already been fighting against the British East India Company for years.

Before he died, Tipu Sultan’s father made sure his son was educated and experienced in matters of war. Under Tipu, Mysore’s army had a total of 5,000 rocket launchers at their disposal.

He fought three wars against the British. He was killed during the fourth and final war in 1799 after the British captured his capital, Srirangapatna.