The Dhaka Gate Cannon: Secrets of Bibi Mariam

Around a couple of months ago, the age-old Dhaka Gate near Doyel Chattar was unveiled to the public upon its renovation. If you visit the Gate, now in renewed glory, you are bound to see an imposing artefact in its premises -- a cannon called Bibi Mariam. This massive weapon has seen a lot of Dhaka's past. It holds many memories and secrets, and curiously enough, even has a "partner", which now sleeps in the bottom of the Buriganga.     

Origins

Bibi Mariam and her partner, Kaley Jamjam -- also known as Kalu Jam Jam -- are cannons possibly belonging to the Mughal times.

In his work,"Dhakar Hariye Jawa Kaman", historian and author, Muntassir Mamoon brought together various accounts of witnesses from different eras. He presented the idea that the cannons may have been manufactured locally in the 17th century, to defend against attacks of Maghs or Arakanese.

Read more

Dhaka Gate the city’s new splendour

In fact, the Mughal subhadar, Mir Jumla (1591-1663) has always been associated with the cannons. To illustrate, Syed Muhammed Taifoor in the book "Glimpses of Old Dhaka" wrote, "In his Assam expedition Mir Jumla captured a large number of big and small guns which were dispatched to Dhaka... One of the guns was of a very big size and it is thought that 'Bibi Merium' was the same gun."

The journey of Bibi Mariam

Where was Bibi Mariam located before it finally made its way to Dhaka Gate? The cannon, in fact, has seen quite a lot of our city!

Before the recent relocation to Dhaka Gate, it was in Osmani Udyan. In his writing, Mamoon mentioned Bibi Mariam's whereabouts through the ages. It was in Gulistan at one point in time. Even before that, in 1840, it was placed in Chawk Bazar, arguably the then centre or heart of Dhaka. Going further back, Bibi Mariam was once located in Showari Ghat.

Illustration: Maisha Syeda; Photo: Prabir Das/Star

Bibi Mariam and the fate of Kaley Jamjam 

Some distance apart, her counterpart Kaley Jamjam dominated a char in Buriganga, which was referred to as Moghlani Char. But the river swallowed up the char a long time ago, taking with it Kaley Jamjam forever!

A folklore which was once prevalent among Old Dhaka residents is that they sometimes used to hear roars coming from the river, and believed that Kaley Jamjam was calling out to his partner Bibi Mariam.

Cannons of divinity

And this is not where the folklores end. The cannons were also idols of worship. Locals of the olden days lit up a "Pradeep (oil lamp)" inside the Kaley Jamjam cannon. Similarly, Bibi Mariam was adorned with vermillion and bathed with milk and flowers.

You may even imagine how the cannons were perhaps, to some extent, a part of everyday life once upon a time. As Taifoor wrote about Bibi Mariam, "Its muzzle was sealed up sometime in British time, as small babies used to crawl inside..."

As Bibi Mariam lives on, today she rests in what may just be her final destination.