Hyder Ali - Early Life

Early Life

The exact date of Hyder Naik's birth is not known with certainty. Various historical sources provide dates ranging between 1717 and 1722 for his birth. There are also some variations in reports of his ancestry. According to some accounts, his grandfather was descended from a line of Muslims tracing their lineage back to Persia, while another traces his lineage instead to the area of present-day Afghanistan. In a third account, written by one of his French military officers, Hyder himself claimed descent from the Quraysh tribe of Arabs, the tribe of the prophet Muhammad. His father, Fatah Muhammad, was born in Kolar, and served as a commander of 50 men in the bamboo rocket artillery (mainly used for signalling) in the army of the Nawab of Carnatic. Fatah Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore, where he rose to become a powerful military commander. The Wodeyars awarded him Budikote as a jagir (land grant), where he then served as Naik (Lord).

Hyder Ali was born in Budikote; he was Fatah Muhammad's fifth child, and the second by his third wife. His early years are not well documented; he entered military service along with his brother Shahbahz after their father died in combat. After serving for a number of years under the rulers of Arcot, they came to Seringapatam, where Hyder's uncle served. He introduced them to Devaraja, the dalwai (chief minister, military leader, and virtual ruler) of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, and his brother Nanjaraja, who also held important ministerial posts. Hyder and his brother were both given commands in the Mysorean army; Hyder served under Shahbahz, commanding 100 cavalry and 2,000 infantry.