Coordinates: 24°11′15″N 88°16′07″E / 24.187371°N 88.268602°E / 24.187371; 88.268602
Bachhawali Tope
Bacchawali Tope (literal translation: The cannon which produces child birth) is a gun, rather cannon which lies in the
Nizamat Fort Campus on the garden space between the
Nizamat Imambara and the
Hazarduari Palace and to the east of the old Madina Mosque in the city of
Murshidabad in the
Indian state of
West Bengal. The cannon consists two pieces of different diameters. The cannon was made between the 12th and 14th century, probably by the Mohammeddan rulers of
Gaur. It originally lied on the sand banks of
Ichaganj. However, it is unknown that how it came in
Ichaganj. It was used to protect the city of
Murshidabad from north-western attacks. After the 1846 fire of the
Nizamat Imambara the
Imambara was rebuilt, then after the completion of the new
Imambara the cannon was shifted to its present site by Sadeq Ali Khan, the architect of the sacred
Nizamat Imambara under the suggestion of Sir
Henry Torrens, the then agent of the Governor General at
Murshidabad.
Etymology
It is heard that this cannon was fired only once and when it was done it produced a huge explosive sound, within a radius of about 10 miles. This sound made most of the pregnant women of the city to give birth to their child. This cannon is believed to get its name from there, so the cannon has been named, Bacchawali Tope. Bacchawali means the one who produces child birth while Tope means cannon. Thus, the total sums up to Bacchawali Tope, which means the cannon which produces child birth.
Map
A map of the full
Nizamat Fort Campus (excluding
Wasef Manzil,
Dakshin Darwaza or the South Gate of the campus, Nawab Bahadur's Institution and the South Zurud Mosque) showing the
Nizamat Imambara in yellow and other buildings with the cannon around it, like the
Madina Mosque, the
Hazarduari Palace,
Chawk Masjid,
Bacchawali Tope shown in black, the clock tower, Shia Complex and the
Zurud Mosque (North).
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