Painted bubris at Tipu's Mausoleum

1.10 Painted bubris at Tipu's Mausoleum ©Anne Buddle Painted Decoration Of Tiger Stripes Stylised tiger stripes (bubris) painted on the interior walls of the Mausoleum built by Tipu for his father, Haidar Ali Seringapatam, Gumbaz; 1784 Modern photograph; 1984 he present decoration is not entirely original, but part of the Archaeological Survey of India's on-going programme of maintenance and restoration. Similar painted decoration was discovered in 1983/84 at the Masjid e'Ala, preserved beneath successive layers of whitewash. These examples may be closer to the original scheme at Gumbaz than the present restoration, a detail of which is seen here. Certainly the strong colours give some indication of what the interior of Tipu's palace must have looked like, 'painted Green with Red Tiger stripes,' as Marriott records in his watercolour of Tipu's throne. Similar painted decoration is visible in Thomas Hickey's painting (1796) "Portrait of Shukur Ullah, son of Tipu Sultan". Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta. Behind the young boy, the panelled wood work is decorated with paired tiger stripes, arranged in vertical and horizontal bands.