The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c12.s1.5

c12.s1.5

In 1128 H. (1715-6) when Rajah Jai Singh was besieging Churāman Jāt in his fort of Thūn, one of these cannon was sent from Dihlī. It was escorted with ceremony from Palwal to Hodal and there made over to the deputy-governor of Āgrah for conveyance to its destination. The shot is threw was, we are told, one maund (Shāhjahānī) in weight (Shiū Dās, fol. 13a). Again, at the siege of Āgrah in 1131 H. (July, August 1719), several of these large cannon were employed. They had there Ghāzī Khān, Sher Dahān, Dhūmdhām, and others. These guns took shot of from 60 to 100 lbs, (30 sers to 1¼ man Shāhjahānī). Attached to each gun were from one to four elephants and from 600 to 1700 draught oxen (Shiū Dās, fol. 29a). Muḥammad Muḥsin also speaks of Muḥammad Shāh having at Karnāl in 1151 H. (Feb. 1739), guns which required five hundred to one thousand bullocks, aided by five to ten elephants (Horn, 34, quoting Elliot, viii, 74).