Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam

Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam
St. Bartholomew's Church, Mysore
Used for those deceased 1799-1860
Established 1799
Location 12°24′56.58″N 76°40′55.32″E / 12.4157167°N 76.6820333°ECoordinates: 12°24′56.58″N 76°40′55.32″E / 12.4157167°N 76.6820333°E
near Seringapatam, India
Total burials 307
Burials by nation
Burials by war

The Garrison Cemetery is located in Seringapatam, on the banks of the river Cauvery, about 300m from the Bangalore Mysore Highway. It has about 307 graves of the European officers killed in the final assault on Tippu Sultan in 1799, and their family members. Among the graves, there are 80 graves of the officers of the Swiss ‘de Meuron Regiment’, and the rest of the graves are their family members.[1][2]

The cemetery entrance gate has a marble stone, reads, “Garrison Cemetery AD 1800. Latest burial 1860.” A few tombs are imposing, while others are small, some shaped like of a coffin and said to be the remains of infants who died of plague. Many officers of the Swiss mercenary de Meuron Regiment are buried here.[3]

Regiment de Meuron

Main article: Regiment de Meuron

The Regiment de Meuron, was a Swiss mercenary unit, in the services of the Dutch East India Company, and even fought against the British East India Company in Ceylon. Following the abeyance of wage payments by the Dutch East India Company in Ceylon in 1795, the regiment held negotiations with the British East India Company and joined their services with 800 men. The Regiment de Meuron took part in the Siege of Seringapatam (1799) against Tippu Sultan.[1][2][4]

History

The Swiss officers of the Regiment de Meuron, who fell in the Siege of Seringapatam (1799)] were buried at the Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam. The first burial took place in 1800, and the cemetery was in use till 1860. The British East India Company has turned the town of Seringapatam into a garrison town, and hence the cemetery came to be known as the Garrison Cemetery.[1][5][6][7][8]

The Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam is now under the management of the CSI St. Bartholomew's Church, Mysore.[9][10]

Years of Neglect

Years of neglect, resulted in the magnificent memorial stones going to the brink of imminent collapse. The whole place was overrun with weeds and thick bushes.[1][11]

Restoration

In 2007, Louis Dominique de Meuron, a descendant of the Regiment de Meuron, visited the Garrison Cemetery, along with his wife Monique. Saddened by the state of neglect of the cemetery, the couple engaged an agency in Mysore (Ravi Gundu Rao & Associates (RGRA)) to restore the graves. After their demise in 2012, restoration was continuously supported by their children Jean de Meuron and Dr. Sophie.[1][6]

The graves were restored to their original state in consultation with the Karnataka State Archaeology Department, and formally handed over to the de Meuron family in November 2008. The cost of restoration was around INR 3 million[1][3][6]

Lime and bricks were mainly used in the restoration, with the lime coming from a local quarry. Nearly 12-18 masons, craftsmen, and workers were involved in the restoration works.[12]

Following the restoration, the Garrison Cemetery, Seringapatam is now included in the tourist itinerary of Mysore /Srirangapatna.[13][14] Descendants of the soldiers often visit the cemetery and offer homage.[6] The care taker of the cemetery is Ms. Vidyalakshmi, a local history enthusiast.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Kumar, M T Shiva (9 March 2013). "There is life at the cemetery" (Bangalore). The Hindu. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Garrison Cemetery". Mysore. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Patrao, Michael (12 April 2010). "Epitaphs for European officers" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Harshitha, Samyuktha (18 January 2013). "The Swiss regiment that had a hand in the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan". Hari Sarvothama Vayu Jeevothama -The Madhwa Way of the World. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Pratibha (14 December 2013). "Going sombre in Mysore and the Srirangapatna Garrison Cemetery". Rediscovering India in journeys through a small world. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ganapathy, Deepti (26 November 2008). "Garrision Cemetery Restored: A Wake-Up Call To Preserve Heritage Monuments" (Bangalore). The Times of India. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Military Contemporaries of Lachlan Macquarie at Seringapatam in 1799". Macquarie University. 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  8. ↑ David, Masson (1900). "The Centenary of Seringapatam.". Macmillan's Magazine: 125. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Rotti, Joland (3 October 2013). "St. Bartholomew’s Church, Mysore". Karnataka. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Charya, S V Upendra (10 January 2011). "A historic church in Mysore" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO (15 April 2014). "Monuments of Srirangapatna Island Town". UNESCO: World Heritage. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  12. ↑ Kishore, Kunkuma Devi (2012). "Restoration of the Garrison Cemetery at Srirangapatna, Karnataka" (PDF). ACCU Nara International Correspondent (Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)): 7–10. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Gaur, June (5 May 2013). "Whose history is it anyway?" (Bangalore). The Hindu. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Sensational archaeological discovery" (Sri Lanka). Sunday Observer. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2015.