Who among the following established a modern armoury in Dindigal Mysore in 1755 ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Haider Ali. Having risen through the Mysore army under the Wodeyars' ministers, Haider Ali was appointed Faujdar (military commander) of Dindigul in 1755. There he modernised his forces — retaining French advisers to organise and train his artillery and setting up a modern arsenal/armoury. This military modernisation launched his ascendancy in Mysore, and by 1761 he had become its de facto ruler.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong — Nanjaraja was the Dalavayi (commander-in-chief)/sarvadhikari of Mysore under whom Haider Ali served and rose; he was a court power-holder, not the founder of the Dindigul arsenal.  (c) Wrong — Devaraja (Nanjaraja's brother) was a chief minister of Mysore; like his brother he was a court official rather than the one who built the modern armoury at Dindigul.  (d) Wrong — Chikka Krishnaraja (Krishnaraja Wodeyar II) was the titular Raja of Mysore in this period, later reduced to a figurehead by Haider Ali; he did not establish the Dindigul armoury.

Concept: By the mid-18th century, real power in the Wodeyar kingdom of Mysore had passed from the titular Raja (Krishnaraja Wodeyar II) to strong ministers (Nanjaraja and Devaraja). This opening let the soldier Haider Ali rise; his European-style artillery and the Dindigul arsenal (1755) built the military machine that he and later his son Tipu Sultan turned against rivals and the English.

State PCS 2020 Q28 — History PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q28 — History PYQ with Answer