WORLD'S FIRST MISSILE

No its not Germany or Britain. The world’s first missiles were “Made in India”.

Tipu sultan, the Muslim ruler of Srirangapatnam, and his father Hyder Ali, were the men behind the pioneering of world’s earliest rocket technology and used it successfully in their war against the British.

The initial ground work was done by Hyder Ali. He brought into action, iron cased rockets weighing more than 12 pounds each, specifically custom made from Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh. A 10 feet long bamboo pole was mounted on it, with a long sword fitted at its front. These had a range of half a mile.

Tipu Sultan had a battery of men trained to fire these rockets from a lunch pad attached to the ramparts of the Srirangapatnam fort, with 40 feet high walls on three of its sides.

The above picture shows the ruins of the site where Tipu Sultan had his rocket launch pad.

Incidentally, some of the paintings of the era, notably by Holmes, whose works were based on his observation and are preserved in London, highlight Tipu's men stretching themselves to fire rockets from the ramparts of the fort.The use of rockets and missiles won the Mysore army a temporary reprieve against the British.

When Tipu was killed at the battle of Tipu Khanahally in 1799 the British captured more than 700 rockets. These rockets were taken to England by William Congreve and subsequently "reverse engineered."One of his rockets is still preserved at the Woolwhich museum London, with the name "India's War Rocket".