On Wednesday, the Government Vellore Museum added 134 stone cannonballs to its treasure trove. The cricket ball-sized cannonballs were found in 2015 o when a farmer in Kollakottai in Thokkavadi village in Chengam Taluk, Tiruvannamalai district, had taken up farming activities in his land.
According to the curator of the museum, K Saravanan, the balls weighed between 350g and 400g. The balls were 20cm in diameter and were 5cm high. They dated back to 18th and 19th centuries, Saravanan said.
"There were several wars between the British and Tipu Sultan during the latter's regin. The cannonballs could have been used during the second Mysore War between Tipu Sultan and the British in the 1780s," said the curator. The perfectly-shaped stone cannon balls exhibit fine craftsmanship, he said. "These balls would have been used to attack the enemies and their facilities at a long range," added the curator.
The museum already has five stone cannonballs, two gun powder flasks and two iron cannons in its collection. They are displayed in front of the museum. While the cannons and gun powder flasks were found inside the Vellore Fort, the cannonballs were found in Arni and neighbouring places.
This was the first time, a cache of ancient cannonballs were found in one place, Saravanan said. They were found on February 9, 2015, when C Jothi, a farmer and resident of Thokkavadi Kollakuttai, tilled his farmland to plant banana saplings, said the curator.
Upon information, revenue officials recovered the cannonballs heaped near the farmland by the farmer and shifted them to the treasury in Chengam. Tiruvannamalai collector Prashant M Wadnere acquired them under the Indian Treasure Trove Act.
According to the curator of the museum, K Saravanan, the balls weighed between 350g and 400g. The balls were 20cm in diameter and were 5cm high. They dated back to 18th and 19th centuries, Saravanan said.
"There were several wars between the British and Tipu Sultan during the latter's regin. The cannonballs could have been used during the second Mysore War between Tipu Sultan and the British in the 1780s," said the curator. The perfectly-shaped stone cannon balls exhibit fine craftsmanship, he said. "These balls would have been used to attack the enemies and their facilities at a long range," added the curator.
The museum already has five stone cannonballs, two gun powder flasks and two iron cannons in its collection. They are displayed in front of the museum. While the cannons and gun powder flasks were found inside the Vellore Fort, the cannonballs were found in Arni and neighbouring places.
This was the first time, a cache of ancient cannonballs were found in one place, Saravanan said. They were found on February 9, 2015, when C Jothi, a farmer and resident of Thokkavadi Kollakuttai, tilled his farmland to plant banana saplings, said the curator.
Upon information, revenue officials recovered the cannonballs heaped near the farmland by the farmer and shifted them to the treasury in Chengam. Tiruvannamalai collector Prashant M Wadnere acquired them under the Indian Treasure Trove Act.