London, May 29 (). Britain has banned the export of an 18th-century gun made for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysuru. The cost of this flintlock gun is 2 million pounds. The government wants its buyer to be from Britain only so that it can be kept in the country for public study and education.
A 14-bore gun designed for shooting sports was made in India by Asad Khan Muhammad for Tipu Sultan between 1793 and 1794.
This gun is 138 cm long and made of strong wood. It is studded with silver. This barrel is made of steel which has been cut with a chisel and filled with gold and silver.
Whitley Bay’s arts and heritage minister Lord Parkinson has banned the export of Tipu Sultan’s flintlock sporting gun in the hope it can be put on public display in the UK.
This visually appealing gun is an important antique in its own right, said Parkinson Sun. Also an example of the important, shared history between the UK and India.
“I hope it can be shared with as many people as possible and used to deepen our understanding of a terrible period that shaped both of our countries,” he said.
Tipu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore, was a staunch opponent of the British East India Company and its allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. He was killed on May 4, 1799 while defending his stronghold of Srirangapatna (Srirangapatna).
His distinctive personal arms were passed on to prominent military figures after his death. This musket was presented to General Earl Cornwallis, who had earlier fought Tipu between 1790 and 1792.
The expert committee found the gun to be of aesthetic value as well as important for the study of Tipu Sultan and his court, for Lord Cornwallis, for British history, and for the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Mysorean War.
Its evaluation is based on the Waverley Criteria, which was established in 1952 to decide on art and cultural objects that deserve efforts to keep them in the country.
According to expert committee member Christopher Rowell, the gun is extremely elegant, and its technologically advanced system was capable of firing two shots from a single barrel without reloading.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said a decision on export license applications for the gun would be deferred until 25 September 2023.
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