Shamaiya Iyengar, son of Vasudeva Iyengar, was one of the ministers during the time of Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali

Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

, originally from Sulkunte, near Budikote in Bangarpet. He received a sanad (permission/grant) from Tipu to run the sante (weekly market) at sulkunte in 1793. He was also minister for communication posts and police during Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...

's time. It is believed that Tipu ordered him to be blinded, suspecting political conspiracy. It is believed that Mir Sadik, the chief traitor responsible for the fall of Tipu in 1799, had earlier prepared a false list of traitors to make political gains. Shamaiya fell victim to this. Also,as from Gidwanis book Tipu forgave Shamaiya when Shamaiya's son defended against the English during the last Anglo-Mysore War, dying due to a gunshot to the chest.

Shamaiya's brother Ranga Iyengar was also a highly placed officer under Tipu.