(Chronicle note: Prof. R. Balasubramaniam is Professor at IIT-Kanpur Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, and alumnus if IT-BHU, Metallurgy 1984.)
His homepage: home.iitk.ac.in/~bala/
http://www.exoticindiaart.com
The Saga of Indian Cannons
IDK189
by R. Balasubramaniam
Hardcover (Edition: 2008)
Preface
One of the main aims of our research into Indian’s rich metallurgical past is to excite the young readers about the exalted status of India’s metallurgical knowledge in ancient and medieval times. A related aim was to inform the eager and interested non-Indian readers about the wonders of Indian metallurgical skill. Some of the less-known wonders of Indian metallurgical skill are large bronze cannons and forge welded iron cannons, available all across the Indian subcontinent in different historical locations. The surviving massive vintage bronze cannons attest to the engineering expertise of the Indian metal casters. The forge welded iron cannons of India are the real undiscovered gems of Indian Blacksmith’s skill. A large collection of vintage Indian cannons is presented in this book, several for the first time. Many of them in neglected condition in remote forts all across the Indian subcontinent. They are mute witnesses to the glorious heights attained by the Indian metal caster and blacksmiths before the advent of mechanization and large scale industrial production of metals.
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