Karmakar

Wikipedia

Karmakar (Bengali: কর্মকার) is a Bengali Hindu caste spread throughout West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Bangladesh. The Karmakars are traditionally blacksmiths by trade.

Kamar blacksmith, from a 1799 collection of etchings

History

The Karmakars used to be blacksmiths by profession. Over time, the Karmakars have produced engineering masterpieces.[citation needed] In 1637, Janardan Karmakar (Blacksmith) of Sylhet built the great gun of Murshidabad, the Jahan Kosha Cannon 'Destroyer of the World', which is 18 feet (5.5 m) in length and weighs around 7 tons.[1][2][3] Another grand cannon named Dal Madal Kaman was built by Jagannath Karmakar in 1565 for the kingdom of Mallabhum.[4] In the late 18th century, Wiiliam Carey of serampore teamed up with Panchanan Karmakar to make Bengali wooden types[vague].[5]

Notables

References

  1. Miah, Md. Abul Hashem (June 1991). "Cannons in the Subcontinent with a Special Reference to the Historical Cannons of Bengal". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh: Humanities. 36 (1): 65–66, 73. and the huge [page 66:] cannon of Murshidabad are believed to have been made by Janardan Karmakar (Blacksmith) of Sylhet ... [page 73:] known as "Jahan Kusha' ... cast in Jahangirnagar in A. H. 1047 (1637 A. D.) The cannon is 18' in length.
  2. The Land of the Rupee. Bennett, Coleman & Co. 1912. p. 100.
  3. District Census Handbook, West Bengal: Birbhum India. Superintendent of Census Operations, West Bengal, Bisweswar Ray, Superintendent, Government Printing, the University of Michigan
  4. Dasgupta, Biswas & Mallik 2009, p. 55.
  5. "Flower power resurrects Carey legacy". timesofindia.com. The Times Of India Kolkata. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2012.

Bibliography