It sure looks that way. The photos and source appear to be real and not AI fakes.

At first I thought this might have been one of the multitudes of AI generated “art projects” that are muddying the waters at the moment, but looking at the source in the link it appears pretty legit. I’m also reminded of the famous iron pillar that never rusts that’s situated somewhere in India and used to be in all the “lost civilizations” genre books back in the 70s. Martin

Gunpowder Artillery in South India (15th-18th century)

Gunpowder Artillery in South India

• 1 I.A. Khan, Gun Powder and Firearms, Warfare in Medieval India, pp. 1-127.

5Before starting a careful examination of the weapons, we have to recollect what we know about gunpowder artillery in South India and keep in mind some points of reference. According to Iqtidar Alam Khan, in his masterly presentation of gunpowder and firearms in Medieval India, just published,1 gunpowder appears to have come to India from China during the second half of the 13th century; a type of rocket was then adopted in Hindustan and north of the Deccan during the second half of the 14th century; the use of gunpowder artillery increased from the middle of the 15th century and, after the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498 and Babur’s invasion (1526), guns started playing a very significant role in military operations. Regarding the Deccan kingdoms, it should be stated that, besides European or North Indian influence, the impact of West Asia gunnery, especially Ottoman technology, has been of far reaching significance as noticed in the conclusion of chapter III.

6What were the types of weapons manufactured in India. The descriptions given by experts, based on literary sources, Persian or European are summary and do not permit to define their features. And yet many of these engines have been preserved and may be observed in the numerous Indian forts, some of them bearing inscriptions giving the date of their manufacture.

Guns Preserved in the Fortifications

7Thus, inside the forts of the Deccan, scattered on the ramparts, there are hundreds of guns that can be examined. In all the sites visited by us, except in Solapur, where the cannons rest on masonry supports in the garden of the fort, and in Naladurga, where some pieces are found at the entrance, guns are seen, lying in bushes or still in position on the platforms, some on their pivot.

• 2 J. Dcloche, Senji, pp. 131-132 & 225-229.

8The reason why they are still there is that they have not been removed after the Deccan forts were taken by the Mughals, because the fortified sites, having still a strategic value, were maintained by the new rulers and were provided with a garrison. On the contrary, in strongholds taken by European armies during the Anglo-French conflict, indigenous cannons are usually not found because they were taken away and dismantled. At Senji (Gingee), for example, in 1751, all the guns in the fort were pulled down from the hills by the French and convoyed to Pondicherry.2

9Now these guns found in the old Deccan kingdoms did not attract the attention of scholars. It is indeed strange to note that there is no mention of them in all the learned articles written on warfare in Medieval India. Obviously, except for the few pieces bearing inscriptions (published by H. Cousens and G. Yazdani), experts on firearms are not aware of their existence. It is therefore urgent to consider them…continues..

SOURCE: Studies on fortification in India – VI. Gunpowder Artillery in South India (15th-18th century) – Institut Français de Pondichéry (openedition.org)

MUCH THANKS TO DUTCHSINSE FOR THE HEADS-UP! dutchsinse – YouTube