Jaigarh Fort - Cannon Foundry

Cannon Foundry

During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Jaigarh Fort, which is located 150miles south-west of Delhi, became one of the worlds most efficient Cannon foundry mainly due to the abundance of Iron ore mines in the vicinity of the fort. The cannon foundry Jaigarh Fort had a massive wind-tunnel that sucked air from the high mountains into its furnace creating temperatures as high as 2400degrees Fahrenheit, the heated air would melt the metal. The liquid molten metal would fill a reservoir chamber and into a cannon mold in the casting pit. Most of those Cannons were massive mostly 16 ft long and had to be prepared within a single day. The Rajput also built a large ingenious mechanical device that had a precision gear system driven by four pairs of Oxen, the device was used for hollowing out the Cannon barrels. When the Mughal war of succession broke out in the year 1658 Dara Shikoh secured the Cannon outpost of Jaigarh Fort until he was defeated and executed by his younger brother Aurangzeb. Later however, the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah appointed Jai Singh II as the official Mughal Qiladar of Jaigarh Fort according to a Firman, ultimately Jai Singh II is known to have molded the great Jaivana Cannon by utilizing the important foundry and devices inside Jaigarh Fort.