Hyderabad by Walk - Gunfoundry

 For someone who studied for four years in All Saints High School whose address is Gunfoundry (1783), i never found out why and where this Gunfoundry was. It had to be somewhere surely! So the walk definitely needed me to explore and see what this was about. 

Gunfoundry as it appears from the gate 

We crossed the road from Aliya and went past the Lepakshi emporium which was the route we took for four years in All Saints - get off the bus at Nizam College and walk past Lepakshi to school. As we entered the lane I saw a brick structure which was quite unimpressive but with a gate that had an important look about it with some government markings.

I could not make head or tail of it and asked a young man who was passing by if this was Gunfoundry and he confirmed it and said yes it was. Apparently the brick structure has some stuff under the ground according to him. It was locked and no one was allowed inside.

Old buildings in the area behind Gunfoundry

According to Wikipedia, my fav source, Gunfoundry was also called Top ka Sancha and was built in 1783. It was a cannonball factory set up by the French General Michel Raymond during the times of the second Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam Ali Khan. Apparently its the only surviving gunfoundry of the 18th century.

The beautiful Mahboobia School

Originally built of brick walls 50 feet high and tapering off from 25 high onwards, the foundry was built by brick, lime mortar and iron rods etc.

Ah. another ghost exorcised. Now i know what, why and where this Gunfoundry is!