Last updated: 5 November 2026
Quick answer: Tipu Sultan’s descendants live mainly in Kolkata, where the British exiled his family in 1806. Press reports put the number of direct descendants still in the city at about 45. Most trace their line to his son Prince Ghulam Muhammad (1795–1872). Some are comfortably middle-class; many work as tailors, electricians or rickshaw pullers, despite the family’s old estates in Tollygunge.
Tipu Sultan’s family today is one of the strangest stories of Indian royalty. The heirs of the “Tiger of Mysore” became Bengalis, speak Bangla, and live in the same city where roads, mosques and two of India’s oldest golf clubs still carry their family’s name. This page covers how they got there, who they are, and why most are not rich. For the full genealogy, see our Tipu Sultan family tree.
Tipu Sultan’s Family Today at a Glance
| Where they live | Mostly Kolkata, especially around Tollygunge; some moved to Bangladesh, Pakistan, south India and abroad |
| How many | About 45 direct descendants in Kolkata, according to The Citizen; the wider family is much larger |
| Main line | Prince Ghulam Muhammad (1795–1872), Tipu’s youngest surviving son, knighted (KCSI) in 1870 |
| Why Kolkata | The British moved the family from Vellore to Calcutta in 1806, after the Vellore Mutiny |
| Family institutions | Prince Ghulam Muhammad Waqf Estate and the Mysore Family Fateha Fund Waqf, which maintain mosques and family property |
| Landmarks | Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque at Dharmatala; the Tollygunge mosque; Prince Anwar Shah Road; Prince Ghulam Mohammad Shah Road |
| Annual event | Family members mark Tipu’s birth anniversary in Kolkata every November |
How did Tipu Sultan’s family end up in Kolkata?
When Tipu Sultan was killed defending Seringapatam on 4 May 1799, the East India Company took his family prisoner. His sons, wives, daughters and their households, several hundred people in all, were moved to Vellore Fort. In July 1806, Indian sepoys at Vellore mutinied against new dress regulations and raised Tipu’s flag. The British suspected the princes and, within weeks, shipped the whole family to Calcutta, as far from Mysore as possible.
In Calcutta they received pensions and were settled on land in the south of the city, around Tollygunge. Twelve of Tipu’s sons survived him, but records show that only a few left lines that continued for long. According to family researchers quoted in the press, seven of the sons left no surviving male heirs.
Prince Ghulam Muhammad: the son who built Tollygunge
Ghulam Muhammad, born at Seringapatam in 1795, was a small boy when his father died. In Calcutta he turned the family’s allowances into property. He bought large tracts around Tollygunge, built the Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque at the Dharmatala–Chowringhee crossing in 1832 and the Tollygunge mosque, and pursued claims against the Company in London. The British knighted him in 1870. He died in Calcutta in 1872, the last of Tipu’s sons.
Much of today’s south Kolkata stands on land his family once held. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club and the Tollygunge Club both sit on property long associated with Tipu’s descendants, and Prince Anwar Shah Road, one of the city’s busiest streets, is named after a member of the family.
Why are many of Tipu Sultan’s descendants poor?
Three things eroded the family’s wealth. First, each generation divided the pensions and property among many heirs, so shares shrank fast. Second, much of the land was tied up in waqf trusts whose income goes to maintaining mosques, not to individual descendants, and the family has disputed for decades how those trusts are run. Third, a lot of the property was leased cheaply or lost long ago.
The result is a family split sharply by fortune. Some descendants are professionals living comfortable lives; others, as documentaries and reports in Arab News and The Citizen have shown, pull rickshaws, repair cycles, stitch leather or work as electricians and tailors. Descendants have repeatedly appealed to the West Bengal and Karnataka governments for help with health and education.
Who were Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa’s grandchildren?
Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa, also called Fatima Begum, was Tipu Sultan’s mother and Haidar Ali’s second wife. Her grandchildren were Tipu’s children: twelve to sixteen sons, including Fateh Haidar, Abdul Khaliq, Muiz-ud-din, Muhammad Yasin and Ghulam Muhammad, and at least eight daughters. Every descendant of Tipu living today is therefore also her descendant.
Is Noor Inayat Khan a descendant of Tipu Sultan?
Noor Inayat Khan, the British SOE agent executed at Dachau in 1944, is often described as a descendant of Tipu Sultan through her father’s family. The link runs through a female line and is not documented in the main Mysore family genealogies. We cover the claim in detail in our Tipu Sultan family tree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Tipu Sultan’s descendants live today?
Mostly in Kolkata, where the family was exiled in 1806. Some live in Bangladesh, Pakistan, south India and abroad.
How many descendants of Tipu Sultan are there?
About 45 direct descendants still live in Kolkata, according to press reports. The extended family, counting all lines, is larger.
Are Tipu Sultan’s descendants rich?
Not mostly. Some are middle-class professionals, but many work in modest jobs because the family estates were divided, tied up in waqf trusts or lost.
Who was Tipu Sultan’s last surviving son?
Prince Ghulam Muhammad, who died in Calcutta in 1872.
Is the Tollygunge Club connected to Tipu Sultan?
Yes. The club stands on land in Tollygunge that Tipu’s descendants owned after their exile to Calcutta.
Who was Tipu Sultan’s mother?
Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa (Fatima Begum), Haidar Ali’s second wife.
Sources and Further Reading
- Christopher Buyers, Royal Ark: the family of Tipu Sultan.
- The Citizen, “Cubs of the Tiger: Tipu Sultan’s Descendants in the Calcutta Streets”.
- Live History India, “Kolkata’s Tollygunge and the Tipu Connect”.
- Deccan Herald, “I’m Bengali, says Tipu Sultan’s descendant”.
Related: Tipu Sultan Family Tree · Khadija Zaman Begum · Tipu Sultan Controversy
Quiz: Tipu Sultan’s Descendants
3 questions. Pick your answers, then check your score.
