Mallya brandishes Tipu’s sword in Bangalore on Wednesday. (PTI)

Bangalore, April 7: Many politicians have unsheathed swords at public dos, but this one was rather different.

The gleaming weapon that Janata Party working president and liquor baron Vijay Mallya held aloft here today was the majestic sword of Tipu Sultan, back in India after more than 200 years.

Mallya picked up the sword for Rs 1.57 crore at an auction in London last September, but maintained secrecy about his prized possession until it arrived here.

“I am the mysterious buyer of the sword at an auction held in London in September last year. It is a humbling experience to be able to announce to the people of Karnataka that the sword of Tipu Sultan has now been brought back to the land of the illustrious monarch,” Mallya said at a news conference.

He said the sword would be displayed for a week at the Tipu memorial in Srirangapatnam near Mysore, during the ruler’s birth anniversary later this year.

“I am prepared to give it to any museum in the state provided its safety is ensured,” Mallya said.

The sword was presented as a trophy by the British army to Major General Baird through their commander Lt General Harris soon after the battle of Srirangapatnam on May 4, 1799, in which Tipu was killed. It has a calligraphic hilt with a broad, straight, single-edged blade and a velvet-covered silver gilt mounted scabbard.

Another Tipu sword, with a gold sheath, has been in CBI custody here since December 1985. That sword was seized by the bureau from an antique dealer when a decoy it sent was negotiating with him at a Mysore hotel.

That case has dragged on at a local Bangalore court. “I have lost track of the case though I remember that I deposed before the court a couple of times,” said a top police officer who led investigations into the antiques trade in 1985. The officer was on deputation with CBI Bangalore then.

Tipu is believed to have had 13 swords in his personal armoury.