The monster gun of Tanjore

This photograph of a view of the massive gun, Tanjore, Tamilnadu, is part of a collection entitled 'Photographic Views in Tanjore and Trivady ' (Madras, 1858) and was taken by Linnaeus Tripe in 1858. It shows a view of the barrel of the massive cannon (length 24 feet 5 inches), with a 'native' posed beside it for scale. The photographer writes: ''It has received the name of Rajah Gopala, and as this is a name of Vishnu it may be inferred that it was made by one of the Vaishnava Nayakar kings. It certainly belongs to that period. It is said to have been once fired, on which occasion the inhabitants of the Fort were warned by beat of drum to leave their houses. A trail of powder was laid for two miles and 40 minutes elapsed before the fire reached the gun. The sound, it seems, was as if Mount Meru had exploded...''