Gunfoundry

Gunfoundry also known as Top ka Sancha (1786 AD) use to be a cannon-ball factory set up by the second Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab Mir Nizam Ali Khan at Fateh Maidan in Hyderabad, India.

History

Gunfoundry was one of the several cannon and cannon-ball factory set up in 1786 AD by the French General, Michel Joachim Marie Raymond who was in the service of Nawab Mir Nizam Ali Khan, the second Nizam of Hyderabad. This is the only surviving structure of gunfoundry established in the 18th century, in the Nizams, Hyderabad State.

Building Structure

The height of the brick walls of Gunfoundry is approximately 50 feet with a tapered portion commencing above 25 feet height. Due to negligence and poor maintenance, the original height of the tapered walls have come down to 25 to 30 feet. The lower portion was plastered with lime. The shape of the bricks used in the construction of Gunfoundry is square with less thickness. The binding material used is lime mortar. The wall surfaces have been pointed with lime mortar on the exterior and interior sides of the foundry. The walls have been given joints of square iron rods. In the lower portions, brick arches are made in semi circular shape, where the furnaces, melting of iron casting of cannons, muskets etc. were carried out in most scientific manner under the supervision of Michel Joachim Marie Raymond.^[1]

Authors words

Malcolm a renowned historian, in his well-known book History of India, referred to these foundry in 1798 as places in which they cast excellent cannon and made serviceable muskets.^[1]

The Hindu Tuesday, May 13, 2003 : The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Hyderabad Chapter, has appealed to the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, to ask the local authorities to remove unauthorised buildings from the vicinity of all protected monuments and notified heritage buildings/precincts.^[2]

References