Tipu Sultan's ring sells for 145,000 pounds in UK

A unique golden ring belonging to Mysore's 18th Century legendary ruler Tipu Sultan has been sold for a whopping 145,000 pounds at an auction here, 10 times more than its estimated price.
Auction house Christie's said the 41.2 gramme ring was sold to an undisclosed bidder at the auction in central London amid criticism from heritage groups.
The jewelled ring, inscribed with the name of Hindu God Ram in raised Devanagri script sold for 145,000 pounds, 10 times more than its estimated price, 'BBC News' reported.
The ring was allegedly taken from the slain body of Tipu Sultan at the end of the 1799 Srirangappattinam battle against the British East India Company's forces.

"It is surprising that a ring bearing the name of a Hindu God would have been worn by the great Muslim warrior," the auction listing noted.
Earlier this month, Professor S Settar from India's National Institute of Advanced Studies had warned that the ring might be hidden from public view if it was sold to a private bidder, the report said.

Settar urged the Indian government to "make use of all available avenues, legal and diplomatic, to recover the ring".
He even suggested that Indian philanthropists should have been encouraged to purchase the ring on behalf of the country.
Another group called Tipu Sultan United Front also urged the government to prevent the ring from being sold.

The ring was previously listed for sale by Christie's two years ago but was then withdrawn.
Known as the Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan ruled the state for 17 years after succeeding his father, Hyder Ali.