Dalmadal Canon, Bishnupur,
West Bengal
Dalmadal Canon is a large canon
located in the central place of Bishnupur town. It is an important landmark of
the town. It was manufactured by the Malla Kings. Dalmadal Canon is situated
very near to Chinnamasta Temple. Dalmadal Canon is located at about 1.5 Kms
from Bishnupur Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Bishnupur Junction Railway Station and 2
Kms from Bishnupur New Bus Stand.
Legends & History
Bir Hambir, the 49th King
of Malla dynasty, was very popular. He was a contemporary of the Mughal
emperor, Akbar. He converted to Vaishnavism. This canon was manufactured by him
in order to protect his kingdom from the Marathas. It is said he spent huge
amount of money to manufacture this. In Bengali language, the word 'Dala' means
group (enemies in this context) and 'Mardan' means destroy. The canon was
probably named as Dalmardan meaning the destroyer of enemies, which later
became Dalmadal. As per another theory, the Malla kings used to have a lot of
hailstone. One such hailstone of their deity was called as Dalmadal. The canon
was probably named after that hailstone.
Gopal Singh (1730-45 CE) was a
successor of Bir Hambir. He was very religious but was not very successful in
handling problems. During his reign, the Marathas invaded Bishnupur. As per the
legend, Lord Madan Mohan (Krishna) fired this weapon with his own hands to
protect the town from the Marathas and their leader, Bhaskara Rao. After
downfall of the Malla dynasty the royal cannon was carelessly half-buried under
the red soil of Bishnupur. But the legend who bears the dormant history of wars
in Bengal, established itself over the surface again by the help of the British
rulers in 1919.
For brief details, please refer below link;
The Canon
This huge canon is around 12.5
feet and was made with 63 iron rings. It is currently protected by
the Archaeological Survey of India whose plaque, like everywhere else
where it protects ancient wonders, gives a considerably
detailed history about the make and prowess of the canon.
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer below link;
Location
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