Page:The Musnud of Murshidabad (1704 - 1904).djvu/290

[ 174 ] and the east entrance gate of the old capital, protec- ted on the east, throughout the length of the eastern limits of the city, by Gobra Nala, known locally as the Katra Jheel.

Here lies a great gun, called Jahan Kosha, des- troyer of the world, which originally rested on a carriage with wheels and is now embedded in a pepul tree, which has grown by its side and holds it about four feet high from the ground, lifting it up enmasse. The wheels have disappeard. The iron work of the carriage and the trunions are still visible.

The gun is made of a composition of eight metals, namely gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, iron and tin. It is 17 feet and six inches long, with a girth of 5 feet at the touch hole end. The diameter of the touch hole is one and a half inches. That of the orifice is six inches. The weight of the gun is 212 maunds and the powder required for the charge is 28 seers.

The gun was made at Dacca during the reign of Sha Jehan, when Islam Khan was the Subadar of Bengal, by Janardan Karmokar, under the instruc- tions of Darogah Shere Mahomed and the supervisior of Kara Ballav Das, in 1637.

The gun is an object of veneration by the lower classes of the people, who put oil and red mercury on it and offer presents of flowers, milk and sweets.

The muzzle points to the north and commands the whole length of the Katra Jheel.