Seri Rambai
The Seri Rambai is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town, the capital city of Penang. The cannon’s history in the Malacca Straits began in the early 1600s, when Dutch East India Company officers gave it to the Sultan of Johor in return for trading concessions. In 1871, the British colonial government launched an attack on the town in retaliation to a pirate attack, destroying the forts and confiscating the cannon.
About Seri Rambai in brief
The Seri Rambai is a 17th-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town, the capital city of Penang. It is the largest bronze gun in Malaysia, a fertility symbol and the subject of legends and prophecy. The cannon’s history in the Malacca Straits began in the early 1600s, when Dutch East India Company officers gave it to the Sultan of Johor in return for trading concessions. In 1871, the British colonial government launched an attack on the town in retaliation to a pirate attack, destroying the forts and confiscating the cannon. The gun was originally displayed at George Town’s Esplanade; in the 1950s it was moved to Fort Cornwall is, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was cast in 1603 and is a 28-pounder, 127. 5 inches long with a calibre of 6. 1 inches; ; the barrel measures 118. 75 inches;. It is a symbol of cultural identity in Pattani and the profound sense of loss caused by its seizure is still felt today.
When Bangkok refused to return the gun and in 2013 sent a replica instead, suspected insurgents bombed the replica nine days later. The writer Aldous Huxley in 1926 described the gun as a ‘prostrate God’ that women caressed, sat astride and prayed to for children. The Phaya Tani, an enormous gun captured from the Sultanate of Pattani in 1785, is a cannon known as the ‘guardian spirit’ of the Thai capital. It’s said to be imbued with supernatural powers; some are revered for their cultural and spiritual significance; others are notable for having been present at defining moments in the region’s history. The Dutch bid to control southeast Asia’s spice trade hinged on two principal strategies: the first was to directly attack Iberian assets including Portugal’s stronghold at Malacca and Spanish shipping between Manila and Manila.
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This page is based on the article Seri Rambai published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 31, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
