Bachhawali Tope
Cannon in West Bengal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bacchawali Tope (literal translation: "The cannon which induces child birth") is a cannon in the Nizamat Fort Campus in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India,[1] on the garden space between the Nizamat Imambara and the Hazarduari Palace.
The cannon, dating from the 12th-14th century, got its name from a legend that the sound of the cannon can induce pregnant women to give birth.
History
The cannon was made between the 12th and 14th century, probably by the Mohammedan rulers of Gaur. Some texts state it was made by Janardan Karmakar of Dhaka.[2]
The cannon originally lay on the sand banks of Ichaganj, where it was used to protect Murshidabad from north-western attacks. The Nizamat Imambara was rebuilt after a fire in 1846, and was the cannon was moved to that location by Sadeq Ali Khan, the architect of the Nizamat Imambara, on the suggestion of Sir Henry Torrens, the agent of the Governor General at Murshidabad.
Legend
Bacchawali Tope means "the cannon which produces child birth", from Bacchawali (meaning the one who produces child birth) and Tope (meaning cannon).[3] According to legend, the cannon was fired only once, and the huge explosive sound, reaching a radius of about 10 miles, made most of the pregnant women of the city give birth.
Features
The muzzle of the cannon is 1 foot and 7 inches. There are eleven rings fixed to the wrought iron barrel. Petals are drawn on this iron cannon which decorate the muzzle and one of the rings resemble a string of beads. Near the muzzle, on the upper half of the barrel surface, are 14 lines made of brass (7 on each side). There are eight smaller rings attached at various points on the cannon. The cannon weighs around 7657 kg, and a single shelling requires about 18 kg of gunpowder.[4]
