A 370-year-old cannon in the Chittagong University collection, made by K

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The collection of the university museum includes a 400-year-old handwritten Qur’an Sharif, rare medieval coins, 8th to 12th century granite Mansamurti, Vishnu and various bronze sculptures, Nakshikantha, looms, gramophones, wooden boats and copper-brass antiques.

The time was 1656. India was ruled by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. A cannon was made for war that year. Then it was called as ‘Sar Jang’. The Persian word Sar Jang means main weapon. About 370 years ago, this Sar Jang is now in the collection of Chittagong University.

It is placed right in front of the main entrance of the University Museum. Besides, various information about this gun is also given there. The bow is made of bronze. According to the information given in the document, the length of the cannon is 197 cm and the width is 45 cm. The fifth chapter of the book ‘War and Politics of South Asia: Ancient to Modern Age’ edited by Kaushik Roy has detailed reference about this cannon.

Of course, the inscriptions on the cannon also give an idea about it. It has five scripts carved in calligraphy-style. Three of these have been deciphered, the remaining two have not. Shamsul Hossain, founder assistant curator of the university museum and late researcher, analyzed these three scripts.

The first inscription on the cannon mentions its ownership. The Bengali pronunciation of this text is ‘Tope Shah Buland Iqbal Ast’—meaning it is ‘Shah Buland Iqbal’s Cannon’. According to the late researcher Shamsul Hossain, Shah Buland Iqbal was one of the titles of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Kaman’s second inscription provides information on construction supervision. Its Bengali pronunciation is ‘Tope Baad Daroga Barkandaz Khan Tayar Shud’— meaning the cannon was built under the supervision of Barkandaz Khan. The title ‘Barkandaz Khan’ was given to Baha-ud-Din, a Mughal artillery officer.

The third inscription mentions the name of the cannon, the identity of the maker and the date of construction. Its Bengali pronunciation is ‘Tope 1066 Sar Jang Amal Muhammad Hossain Izzat’. That is, this cannon named ‘Sar Jang’ was made by Muhammad Hossain Izzat. Its date is Hijri 1066 i.e. 1656.

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On January 26, 1666, Chittagong came under the Mughals through such a bloody battle. The struggle for possession of Chittagong was a significant turning point in the political history of India from any angle. Historians believe that this kam was used in that war or brought to Chittagong for the need of that war.

Emperor Shah Jahan, during whose reign the cannon was made, was captured and abdicated by his son Shahzada Aurangzeb in 1658. Aurangzeb also defeated the remaining three sons of Shah Jahan—Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja and Murad Bakhsh. After assuming power, he became eager to conquer Chittagong. For this he sent his maternal uncle Shaista Khan as Subedar of Bengal. Bujurg Umed Khan, son of Shaista Khan, led the Chittagong campaign.

Chittagong University officially started on 18 November 1966. The university authorities collected the cannon that day. On the opening day of the university, then Managing Director of National Bank of Pakistan and then President of Pakistan Museum Association, Mumtaz Hasan donated 24 artifacts. The cannon is one of them.

According to university records, late Kamrunnessa Begum, wife of Mughal official Adu Khan Hazari, had a total of four cannons, including the ‘Sar Jung’ cannon. Later in 1966, the National Bank of Pakistan bought these four cannons from Karimunnessa Begum, a descendant of Adu Khan Hazari. However, the document does not mention how much money was purchased. The cannons were donated to the university on the opening day of the university in the same year.

Professor Mohammad Zahidur Rahman, director of the university museum, said that the museum, which officially started its journey in 1973, now has six galleries and a hall. These galleries have a collection of 400 years old handwritten Quran Sharif, rare medieval coins, 8th to 12th century hard stone Mansamurti, Vishnu and various bronze sculptures, Nakshikantha, looms, gramophones, wooden boats and copper-brass antiques. All are kept open for students.