The Dream of Tipu Sultan as a Postcolonial and Historical Play: A Critical Study

Author(s)	Mr. Siddharam Laxman Bhasake
Country	India
Abstract	Girish Karnad's The Dream of Tipu Sultan (1997) occupies a significant place in modern Indian drama as a powerful exploration of history, colonialism, and national identity. Based on the life of the eighteenth-century ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, the play reconstructs a controversial historical figure whose image has long been shaped by colonial historiography. Karnad challenges British representations of Tipu as a tyrannical despot and presents him as a visionary ruler, patriot, and modernizer. Through the use of dreams, historical documents, and multiple narrative voices, the play exposes the ideological nature of history and questions the authority of colonial knowledge systems. This paper examines The Dream of Tipu Sultan as both a historical and postcolonial play, demonstrating how Karnad reclaims indigenous history and critiques imperial discourse. The study further investigates the relationship between history, power, memory, and identity in the play.
Keywords	Girish Karnad, Tipu Sultan, Postcolonialism, Historical Drama, Colonial Historiography, Identity, Power, History.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-08
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80729

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