Paper short abstract:

The paper deals with the relations between Portuguese India and the Sultanate of Mysore under the rule of Haydar Ali and Tipu Sultan. Its main goal is to analyse and discuss how the Portuguese saw and perceived the rising power the Sultans of Mysore in the changing geo-political context of 18th century India.

Paper long abstract:

The paper deals with the relations between Portuguese India and the Sultanate of Mysore under the rule of Haydar Ali and Tipu Sultan. Its main goal is to analyse and discuss how the Portuguese saw and perceived the rising power the Sultans of Mysore in the changing geo-political context of 18th century India. Through the analysis of diplomatic sources, State papers and minutes, the paper seeks to explore Portuguese's perceptions of the Sultans of Mysore and their rule. By doing so, it attempts to show how a political vision of the emerging Muslim power in South India was constructed and corroborated through a set of cultural images of Muslim rulers. The Portuguese perception and vision of Mysore were shaped and re-articulated on the basis of the geo-political situation of India. The rise of the English East India Company as a powerful player in the South Asian scenario was a factor which influenced to a great extent the way the Portuguese perceived Mysore and put its rulers in relation to the interests and the goals of the Portuguese empire.