Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam

The Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam (1784–1799) was a 15-year-long imprisonment of Mangalorean Catholics and other Christians at Seringapatam, in the Carnataca region of India by Tippu Sultan; who was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore following its usurpation.^[1] Estimates of the number of captives range from 30,000 to 80,000, but the generally accepted figure is 60,000, as stated by Tippu himself in the Sultan-ul-Tawarikh.^[2] The captivity was the most disconsolate period in the community's history.^[3]

The Catholic Christians of Mangalore flourished during the regime of Tipu's father, Hyder Ali. Soon after Tipu inherited the territory in January 1784, he issued orders to seize the Christian community in Canara, confiscate their estates & deport them to Seringapatam. His orders were carried out on 24 February 1784. Mangalorean churches were demolished and the stones were used to build the Sultan Battery.^[4] About twenty thousand Christians died during the difficult journey, from South Canara to Seringapatam. The Christians of Canara suffered extreme hardships, torture, and executions. Many converted in captivity to Sunni Islam as practiced by the Ottoman Caliphate, whose approval and assistance was sought by Tippu Sultan.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} The captivity brought the once flourishing Christian community of Mangalore close to extermination.^[1] The captivity ended when Tippu died on 4 May 1799, at the Siege of Seringapatam, led by the English East India Company and its allies; such as the Nizam of Hyderabad. Of the 60,000–80,000 Christians taken captive, only 15,000–20,000 both survived and retained their original Catholic Christian faith. The captivity left an impact on the literature of Mangalorean Catholics.^[10] The bi-centennial anniversary of the Christians' release from captivity was commemorated across the South Canara area on 4 May, 1999.