Mughal artillery

Artillery was not widely employed in Central Asia prior to the 16th century, despite Chinese mortars having been known to the Mongols hundreds of years earlier. Even some use of cannon at Hisar by the Timurid Sultan Husayn Mirza in 1496 did not lead to a substantial military role for artillery in India, Shirazi also invented an anti-infantry volley gun with multiple gun barrels similar to a hand cannon. Later emperors paid less attention to the technical aspects of artillery, allowing the Mughal Empire to gradually fall behind in weapon technology, although the degree to which this decline affected military operations is debated. Under Aurangzeb, the Mughal technology remained superior to that of the breakaway Maratha Empire, but traditional Mughal artillery tactics were difficult to employ against Maratha guerrilla raids. In 1652 and 1653, during the Mughal–Safavid War, prince Dara Shikoh was able to move light artillery through the Bolan Pass to assist in the siege of Qandahar. But problems with the accuracy and reliability of the weapons, as well as the inherent defensive strengths of the fort, failed to produce a victory. By the 18th century, the obsolete bronze guns of the declining empire were unable to compete with newer cast-iron weapons, and performed poorly against forces that employed them, such as Jean Law de Lauriston's French troops. ==Weaponry==

Archaeological research has recovered guns made of bronze from Kozhikode, dating from 1504, and Diu, India which dates from 1533. Mughal cannon making skills advanced during the 17th century. One of the most impressive Mughal cannons is known as the Zafarbaksh, which is a very rare composite cannon, the production of which required skills in both wrought-iron forge welding and bronze-casting technologies as well as in-depth knowledge of the qualities of both metals. Some devices to support the maintenance of these cannons also developed, such as a machine invented by the Mughal officer Fathullah Shirazi known as the "Yarghu" which could clean sixteen gun barrels simultaneously and was operated by a cow. Shirazi also developed an early multi-gun shot. Similar to the polybolos and repeating crossbows which were used in ancient Greece and China respectively, Shirazi's rapid-firing hand cannon had multiple gun barrels that fired gunpowder, akin to a volley gun. The Ibrahim Rauza was a famed cannon which was well known for its multiple barrels. François Bernier, the personal physician to Aurangzeb, observed Mughal gun-carriages each drawn by two horses, an improvement over the bullock-drawn gun-carriages used elsewhere in India. File:Daulatabad fort N-MH-A50-3.JPG|Daulatabad cannon File:Kalak Bangadi,Janjira Fort.jpg|Kalak Bangadi cannon. File:Daulatabad cannon1.jpg|One of the Daulatabad cannons File:Kilkila cannon.jpg|Kilkila cannon File:Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort (69).JPG|Aurangabad cannon The Mughal military employed a broad array of gunpowder weapons larger than personal firearms, from rockets and mobile guns to an enormous cannon, over , once described as the "largest piece of ordnance in the world." Heavy artillery Extremely heavy artillery was an important part of the Mughal military, especially under its early emperors. Emperor Babur reportedly deployed guns capable of firing cannonballs weighing between during a 1527 siege, and had previously employed a cannon capable of firing a stone ball. Humayun did not field such massive artillery at the Battle of Kannauj in 1540, but still had heavy cannons capable of firing 46 pound lead balls at a distance of one farsakh. (mortars). Mines were also deployed by sappers against fortress walls. Another recorded usage of mortars also occurred in 1659 during the conflict between Aurangzeb against his brother, Shah Shuja. The Mughals artillery corps employed hand grenades and rocket artillery. Light artillery Mughal light artillery, also known as artillery of the stirrup, which are considered to be the predecessor of Mysorean rockets that employed by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan Despite packing a considerable punch on the battlefield, the rockets were quite lightweight and easy to transport, as it was recorded that a camel can carry up to 20 Mughal rockets. During the reign of Akbar, he ordered many rockets. It is recorded that he once ordered 16,000 rockets for a single garrison. ==See also==