zamzama

• Name — Zamzama • Origin — Lahore, Durrani Empire • Type — Bombard • Is Ranged — yes • Is Bladed — no • Is Explosive — no • Is Artillery — yes • Is Vehicle — no • Is Missile — no • Service — 1761–1818 • Used By — Durrani Empire Bhangi Misl Chattha Jats Sikh Empire • Wars — Battle of Panipat (1761) Siege of Multan (1818) • Designer — Shah Nazir • Manufacturer — Imperial Mughal karkhana, Mughalpura • Production Date — 1757–1760 (years ago) • Number — 2 • Weight — 4500 kg • Length — 14 ft • Diameter — 9+1/2 in • Cartridge Weight — 40 kg • Caliber — 240 mm

• Illustration — Zamzama Gun on display in Lahore The gun saw its first action in the battle of Panipat, on 14 January 1761. After the battle, on his way back to Kabul, Ahmad Shah left it at Lahore with his governor, Khawaja Ubed, as the carriage that was supposed to take the gun to Kabul was not ready. The other gun which he took with him was lost during the passage through River Chenab. In 1762, the Bhangi Sardar Hari Singh went into battle with Khawaja Ubed. Bhangi attacked the then village of Khawaja Said, 2 mi from Lahore (now a locality in the city of Lahore), where Khawaja Ubed had his arsenal, and seized his artillery, arms and ammunition, including the Zamzama Gun. It was renamed by its Sikh captors as Bhangian di Top. For the next two years, it lay in the Shah Burj of the Lahore Fort. Thereafter, Sikh leaders Lehna Singh and Gujjar Singh Bhangi got hold of it after capturing Lahore and it was given to Charat Singh Shukerchakia as his share in the spoils. The Bhangi Sardars thought that Charat Singh would not be able to carry the gun with him and it would remain with them. Contrary to their expectations, Charat Singh successfully carried the gun to his fort at Gujranwala. From Charat Singh, Zamzama was snatched by the Chatthas who took it to Ahmadnagar where it became a bone of contention between the brothers Ahmad Khan Chatha and Pir Muhammad Chattha. In the fight that ensued, two sons of Ahmad Khan and one of Pir Muhammad were killed. In this fight Gujjar Singh Bhangi sided with Pir Muhammad, and after the latter's victory, the gun was restored to Gujjar Singh. After two years, the gun was wrested by Charat Singh Shukerchakia from whom it was once again snatched by the Chatthas in 1772, and carried away to Rasulnagar. Next year, Jhanda Singh Bhangi defeated the Chatthas and brought the gun to Amritsar. The cannon was used by Bhangis at least once during the battle of Dinanagar in 1775. In 1802, Ranjit Singh, after defeating the Bhangis, got hold of the gun. He used it in the battles of Daska, Kasur, Sujanpur, Wazirabad and Multan. During the siege of Multan, Zamzama was fired four times, and made two breaches in the walls of Multan Fort. From one of the breaches the Sikh army entered into the fort on 20 June 1818, and the fort fell. However, the gun was badly damaged after firing these shots.

• Illustration — "Kim's Gun" as seen in 1903 After being severely damaged Zamzama had to be brought back to Lahore, but was found unfit for any further use. It was placed outside Delhi Gate, Lahore, where it remained until 1860. When in 1864, Maulawi Nur Ahmad Chishti compiled the Tahqiqat-i-Chishti, he found it standing in the Baradari of the garden of Wazir Khan, behind the Lahore Museum. In 1870, it found a new asylum at the entrance of the Lahore Museum, then located in the Tollinton Market. It was placed in this position on the occasion of the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Lahore in 1870. When the present building of the museum was constructed it was removed further west and placed opposite the University Hall. Repaired in 1977, the cannon now rests on Mall Road with Pharmacy Department, University of the Punjab on one side, and National College of Arts (NCA) and Lahore Museum on the other.