A Small Brass Ramadan Cannon, Rajasthan or the Deccan, India, 17th Century

cast in brass, in the form of a makara supported on four pierced wheels, with makara-head muzzle, ridged back and curling tail

pitting and patination consistent with age, axles possibly replaced, as viewed
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This small replica of a full-sized cannon would have been used to mark the end of fasting during Ramadan and the start of the Eid festival. The makara-headed type of cannon is known from the 15th to the 17th century. A near-identical full-size cannon in bronze, 'late-dated' to the late-18th century, is in the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (see Welch 1985, p.357, no.240). This celebrated cannon is probably an import from the Deccan and the late-dating to the eighteenth century probably marks the date of acquisition rather than production.