The Garrison Cemetery in Seringapatam of Mandya District, Karnataka, is an important historical site, taking us back to the period of Tipu Sultan in the late 1800s and how the East India company's army had fought many wars to get rid of him; a road block in their expansion into the deeper part of South India. Close to the Mysore city and roughly 300 km from Bengaluru. the cemetery has roughy 307 graves of the European officers and their families, who were involved in the final assault on Tipu Sultan in 1799. Among these graves, 80 belong to officers of the Swiss ‘de Meuron Regiment,’ while the rest are those of their family members.
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| Garrison Cemetery Seringapatana, deccanchronicle.com |
A poignant testament to the colonial history of India, yet often it is overlooked the key role played by brave soldiers of the Swiss 'de Meuron Regiment,' in the siege of the fort. Away from their home, many young men fell in the battle, some were felled by disease and the vagaries of nature.
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| Founder of Swiss regiment Charles-Daniel de Meuron en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: The regiment was named for its commander, Colonel Charles-Daniel de Meuron (May 1738 - 1806 ) who was the founder of a Swiss mercenary regiment, Regiment de Meuron..
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| upload.wikimedia.org/ |
Above image: The Swiss 'de Meuron Regiment, The Srirangapatna (Karnataka) battle (1799) - After 1796, the regiment changed from a blue Dutch uniform to the British red (East India Company army) The Dutch East India Co failed to pay wages and their importance in the subcontinent was on the decline. Image credit: Albert Escher...
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| Garrison Cemetery samareshbiswal.wordpress.com |
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| Garrison Cemetery Seringapatana,KA samareshbiswal. wordpress.com |
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| Garrison Cemetery Seringapatana,KA hewire.in |
Notwithstanding its historical significance, the cemetery had fallen into disrepair because of negligence on the part of the custodians of the cemetery. Though forgotten in the land where they fought and died, their descendants took serious attempts to preserve the site of their forefathers and the past history. Their dedication to restoring this site, using old traditional lime mortar and masonry techniques, has given a fresh lease of new life to the gravestones and monuments that dot the landscape.
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| Garrison Cemetery Seringapatana, upload.wikimedia.org |
The cemetery's entrance gate features a marble stone inscribed with, "Garrison Cemetery AD 1800. Latest burial 1860." The tombs vary in size, with some being quite imposing and others small. The smaller graves, shaped like coffins, are said to belong to infants who died of the plague. Many officers of the Swiss mercenary de Meuron Regiment are interred here.
Regiment de Meuron
The Regiment de Meuron, a Swiss mercenary unit initially serving the Dutch East India Company, and in the aftermath of declining Dutch influence and lack of payment in 1795 had joined the EIC with 800 men after successful negotiation with them. The Regiment de Meuron notably participated in the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 against Tipu Sultan and the British army was led by Major General David Baird .
Historical Significance
Following the Siege of Seringapatam, the British East India Company transformed Seringapatam into a garrison town, and the cemetery became known as Garrison Cemetery. In he later period it led to the restoration of the Mysore kingdom to the royal dynasty of the Wodeyar family by the English company. Hyder Ali seized the kingdom from the wodeyar Royal family, the primary rulers for several generations. The first burial took place in 1800, and the cemetery was used until 1860. Currently, the cemetery is managed by CSI St. Bartholomew's Church in Mysore.
Constance Parsons' Record
In 1931, Constance Parsons documented the cemetery, noting the graves of many brave fallen soldiers. Among these were Lt. Col. Peter Dallas, who tried to save the life of Seyyid Saheb, and J. A. Cassamajor of the de Meuron Regiment. Parsons also recorded the grave of Caroline Isabella Scott and her infant child, with an inscription reading, "Caroline Isabella Scott (and infant child), wife of Colonel I. C. Scott, Commandant of Seringapatam; who died in child-bed, 19th April 1817." This grave is associated with the tragedy of Scott's Bungalow in Seringapatam.
Years of Neglect and Restoration
Years of neglect left the cemetery in a poor state with the heavy growth of weeds and plants, pushing the site to a dilapidated state; the magnificent memorial stones were on the brink of collapse. In 2007, Louis Dominique de Meuron, a descendant of the Regiment de Meuron, visited the cemetery with his wife Monique. Saddened by its state, they engaged a Mysore agency, Ravi Gundu Rao & Associates, to restore the graves. After their deaths in 2012, their children, Jean de Meuron and Dr. Sophie, continued to support the restoration.
The graves were restored to their original state in consultation with the Karnataka State Archaeology Department and were formally handed over to the de Meuron family in November 2008. The restoration, costing around INR 3 million, involved 12 to 18 masons and craftsmen using local lime and bricks.
Following the restoration, Garrison Cemetery is now included in the tourist itinerary of Mysore and Srirangapatna, a major tourist destination in this state. Descendants of the soldiers frequently visit the cemetery to offer homage. The cemetery's current caretaker is Ms. Vidyalakshmi, a local history enthusiast.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2019/10/garrison-cemetery-srirangapatnam-india.html.
https://everything.explained.today/Garrison_Cemetery%2C_Seringapatam/
https://www.navrangindia.in/2019/10/garrison-cemetery-srirangapatnam-india.html
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