Cannons of Daulatabad Fort
Among the many remarkable military features of Daulatabad Fort near Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) in Maharashtra, the Mendha Tope (Ram Cannon) occupies a place of special importance. Daulatabad, one of medieval India's most impregnable hill forts, preserves several large cannons installed by successive Deccan Sultanates and the Mughals. These artillery pieces illustrate the rapid development of gunpowder warfare in India between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries and demonstrate how artillery transformed the defence of forts.
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| Menda Tope(Ram Cannon)Daulatabad, MH commons.wikimedia.org |
Although gunpowder technology originated in China and spread westward through the Islamic world, large siege artillery became an important component of Indian warfare from the late fifteenth century onward, particularly under the Bahmani Sultanate, the Deccan Sultanates, and later the Mughals. The widespread military use of heavy cannons accelerated after Babur's victory in the First Battle of Panipat (1526), where Ottoman gun masters Ustad Ali Quli and Mustafa Rumi Khan introduced field artillery that decisively defeated the forces of Ibrahim Lodi. Thereafter, artillery became an indispensable part of both battlefield tactics and the defence of major forts.
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| Daulatabad Fort Maharashtra remotetraveler.com/ |
Above image: The fort itself is on top of a 200 meter steep hill with sides dropping to the bottom dangerously. It is a tough job to cross the 40 feet deep moat that has lots of crocodiles first and then to scale the steep hill. The fort has the unique distinction having been remained undefeated in numerous battles centuries ago. The Mogul ruler Aurangzeb installed a massive gun called ‘Menda Top’ for additional defense. Puzzling defense in this fort is a series of endless maze of curved passage corridors with certain gradient...........
Daulatabad Fort was ideally suited for heavy artillery because of its commanding position atop a 200-metre-high conical basalt hill. Cannons were strategically positioned on bastions and elevated platforms to dominate all approaches to the fort. Combined with deep moats, massive gateways, labyrinthine passages, steep rock-cut escarpments, and concentric fortification walls, these guns made Daulatabad one of the strongest defensive complexes in India.
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| Daulatabad Fort Cannon deccanherald.com |
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| Canon, Daulatabad Fort, Maharashtera ndiamike.com |
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| Menda Tope Daulatabad Fort shutterstock.com |
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| Daulatabad Fort,Aurangbad. Mendha Tope (cannon) aurangabad.com |
Above image: Mendha Cannon with the rear end (cascabel) shaped like ram's head is believed to be the second largest cannon in India at the Daulatabad Fort, near Aurangabad City, Maharashtra. This fort has lots of cannons. Cast in bronze, the cannon measures 5.30 m in length. The calibre of the cannon is 20 cm, which can easily hurl a heavy shot; elevated circular platform of the cannon is 16.30 m in diameter. A pivot is provided at the center of the platform, which once held the cannon to enable its rotation in any desired direction. An interesting feature about this canon is, it has an excellent shock-absorbing system and can be rotated 180 degrees to aim the target. Thus it covers a wide range of field for firing and it is absolutely difficult for the enemy to target their fire power towards the fort. Designed in Afghanistan. Located between Chini Mahal and Rang Mahal in the fort, the inscription near the muzzle, which reads as Abul Zafar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir Badshah Gazi..........
The most celebrated gun in the fort is the Mendha Tope, whose name in Marathi means "Ram Cannon", derived from the beautifully sculptured ram's-head-shaped cascabel (the rounded rear end of the cannon). Originally known as Qila Shikan, meaning "Breaker of Forts," the cannon is believed to have been manufactured by the renowned gun founder Muhammad Hussain Arab, probably during the seventeenth century. It later came into Mughal possession after the capture of Daulatabad in 1633, and it is traditionally associated with Emperor Aurangzeb, whose inscriptions appear on the barrel because the cannon formed part of the imperial Mughal arsenal during his reign.
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| Aurangabad, MH mapsofindia.com |
Cast in high-quality bronze, the Mendha Tope measures approximately 5.3 metres in length with a calibre of about 20 centimetres. It weighs several tonnes and is mounted on a large circular stone platform approximately 16 metres in diameter. A central pivot enabled the cannon to rotate through a wide arc—possibly close to 180 degrees—allowing defenders to cover multiple directions without relocating the weapon. The heavy bronze construction not only provided durability but also absorbed recoil more effectively than cast-iron guns.
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| Daulatabad Fort Cannons myindiathrulenses.in |
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| Daulatabad fort, Ahmednagar with cannon |
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| Daulatabad Fort Cannon |
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| Daulatabad Fort Cannon on wheel shutterstock.com |
The cannon bears several Persian inscriptions, each offering valuable historical information. One inscription invokes divine blessing with the words: "With God's help victory is near and all believers are under God's protection." Another records the imperial title of Aurangzeb Alamgir, while a third identifies the cannon as Qila Shikan. Yet another inscription attributes its manufacture to Muhammad Hussain Arab, and a partially concealed inscription records details concerning the weight of the gunpowder charge and the projectile used. These inscriptions make the cannon an important historical artifact as well as a remarkable example of seventeenth-century metallurgical skill.
Transporting such enormous artillery pieces was itself a formidable engineering challenge. Heavy cannons were usually hauled by teams of elephants, oxen, and specially designed wheeled carriages. Because movement across rough terrain was extremely difficult, many of the largest guns remained permanently mounted within important forts like Daulatabad, where they served as fixed defensive batteries rather than mobile field artillery.
Today, the Mendha Tope and the other surviving cannons of Daulatabad Fort are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of the nationally protected monument. Conservation measures include regular cleaning, corrosion monitoring, stabilization of mounting platforms, documentation of inscriptions, visitor protection barriers, and scientific preservation of the bronze surfaces. Following increased tourism and periodic structural inspections, the ASI has also improved visitor pathways and interpretative signage around the artillery positions. The cannons remain among the fort's most admired attractions, offering visitors a vivid reminder of the technological sophistication of medieval Indian military engineering and the crucial role that artillery played in the defence of the Deccan's greatest fortress.
Ref
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_artillery
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/daulatabad-fort-puts-cannons-in-perspective-843954.html
https://aurangabadtourism.in/devagiri-daulatabad-fort-aurangabad
http://www.aurangabadlive.com/daultabad-fort.aspx
Archaeological Survey of India – Daulatabad Fort
Maharashtra Tourism – Daulatabad Fort
UNESCO Tentative List – Daulatabad Fort
Jos J. L. Gommans, Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and High Roads to Empire, 1500–1700. Routledge, 2002.
Iqtidar Alam Khan, Gunpowder and Firearms: Warfare in Medieval India. Oxford University Press, 2004.
K. N. Jayaraman (Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com )
