SERINGAPATAM

also called Srirangapatnam town, south-central Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India. It is situated at the western end of Seringapatam Island in the Cauvery River, just north-northeast of Mysore town. Named for its 12th-century temple dedicated to Sri Ranga (the Hindu god Vishnu), the town was fortified in the 15th century and became capital of the Mysore rajahs (1610) and of the sultans (1761). Haidar (Hyder) Ali and his son, Tippu (Tipu) Sultan, reigned there when a treaty was concluded with the British (1792), who had successfully besieged the fort. During the Fourth Mysore War (1799), Tippu was killed and the fort again fell to the British. The modern town caters to tourists who visit its 17th-century Hindu monuments as well as a large mosque (Jami' Masjid) built by Tippu Sultan. The Daria Daulat (1784), the Tippu's elaborate summer palace with murals of processions and battle scenes, is in the eastern suburb of Ganjam. Nearby Lal Bagh (Red Garden) contains the mausoleum where the two sultans are interred. Several islands nearby are part of Ranganthittoo Bird Sanctuary, home of the openbill stork, white ibis, night heron, and cattle egret. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 21,902.