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Guns of Golconda : sentinels of time
Cannon, Golconda Fort.
Mughal weapons used to be made at shahi karkhanas (royal workshops) or bought from craftsmen. Emperor Aurangzeb had a large artillery, only the main cannons were given names. Inventors used to be invited from Persia and Turkey. The Fateh Rahbar meaning 'guide to victory' cannon used during the siege of Golconda by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's army. It is a large bronze cannon with a length of 486 cm, the diameter of its muzzle is 70 cm,bore 26 cm and end of the barrel is 84 cm. The total weight is 16.59 tons;the name of its engineer is Muhammad Ali Arab. Persian verses inscribed on the gun give its history. The face of the cannon too has inscriptions on it.
Fateh Rahbar,Golconda.
By Mohan Sainath (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Qila Kusha meaning ' fort opener' cannon was also made under the same engineer in 1666 and is seen on the Musa Burj at south east of Golconda Fort. This is a composite cannon and made of wrought iron barrel with an outer bronze cast. The cannon has beautiful decoration on it and at the muzzle end and rear portion. It is kept on the top of the fort.
The Azdaha Paikar meaning dragon body manufactured in 1674 is also a composite cannon on the Musa Burj The cannon weighs 17 tons. An iron ring has been hooped on the barrel of the cannon. The surface of the cannon and the ring are decorated.
Azdaha-paikar, Golconda Fort.
Pic source : Postcard on Golconda
The Atish Bar meaning raining fire; made in 1679 is on a bastion at the foot of the Bala Hissar Hill towards the south west and Dushman Kob is on the Sampolia Burj of the Golconda Fort.
Light cannons,Golconda.
Pic : Isha Vatsa
Cannon, Golconda Fort.
Pic source : Dinesh Singh
Portrait of a soldier, Mughal,17th century, during Aurangzeb's military campaigns in the Deccan,
References :
The guns or cannons on the bastions at the Golconda Fort have been watching the centuries go by. The fireworks have long stopped and the smell of cannon balls evaporated. The Fateh Rahbar is on the Petla Burj, a bastion on the western wall of the fort. It was used during the last siege of Golconda by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (b.1618-d.1707) in 1687. The other cannons which are noteworthy are Qila Kusha,the Azhada Paikar, the Atish Bar and Dushman Kob.
Emperor Aurangzeb,Mughal painting, late 17th century.
By Anonymous - The Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19091333
Emperor Aurangzeb at the siege of Golconda,1687, Gouache painting, 18th century, Brown University Library,USA.
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Emperor Aurangzeb,Mughal painting, late 17th century.
By Anonymous - The Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19091333
Emperor Aurangzeb at the siege of Golconda,1687, Gouache painting, 18th century, Brown University Library,USA.
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Golconda Fort.
By Bernard Gagnon (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Cannon at main entrance Golconda Fort.
By Bhaskaranaidu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Light cannon and cannon balls,Golconda Fort.
By McKay Savage from London, UK [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Cannon, Golconda Fort.
Mughal weapons used to be made at shahi karkhanas (royal workshops) or bought from craftsmen. Emperor Aurangzeb had a large artillery, only the main cannons were given names. Inventors used to be invited from Persia and Turkey. The Fateh Rahbar meaning 'guide to victory' cannon used during the siege of Golconda by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's army. It is a large bronze cannon with a length of 486 cm, the diameter of its muzzle is 70 cm,bore 26 cm and end of the barrel is 84 cm. The total weight is 16.59 tons;the name of its engineer is Muhammad Ali Arab. Persian verses inscribed on the gun give its history. The face of the cannon too has inscriptions on it.
Fateh Rahbar,Golconda.
By Mohan Sainath (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Qila Kusha meaning ' fort opener' cannon was also made under the same engineer in 1666 and is seen on the Musa Burj at south east of Golconda Fort. This is a composite cannon and made of wrought iron barrel with an outer bronze cast. The cannon has beautiful decoration on it and at the muzzle end and rear portion. It is kept on the top of the fort.
The Azdaha Paikar meaning dragon body manufactured in 1674 is also a composite cannon on the Musa Burj The cannon weighs 17 tons. An iron ring has been hooped on the barrel of the cannon. The surface of the cannon and the ring are decorated.
Azdaha-paikar, Golconda Fort.
Pic source : Postcard on Golconda
The Atish Bar meaning raining fire; made in 1679 is on a bastion at the foot of the Bala Hissar Hill towards the south west and Dushman Kob is on the Sampolia Burj of the Golconda Fort.
Light cannons,Golconda.
Pic : Isha Vatsa
Cannon, Golconda Fort.
Pic source : Dinesh Singh
Portrait of a soldier, Mughal,17th century, during Aurangzeb's military campaigns in the Deccan,
By Mughal - http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1600_1699/aurangzeb/karansingh/karansingh.htmlChristie's, LotFinder: entry 4457064 (Courtier in a Landscape), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17614887
References :
- Hyderabad : a city in history/Khan, Raza Ali,Hyderabad : Zenith Services,1990.
- The saga of Indian cannons/Balasubramaniam, R.,New Delhi : Aryan Books International,2008.
- www.insa.nic.in
Posted by:
Soma Ghosh
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