Workers digging up an underground section of the Bangalore Metro rail were in for a surprise when they discovered a 12 feet cannon and a cannonball - believed to be from the Tipu Sultan era.
The construction site, where the 18th century cannon was unearthed, falls between Tipu's summer palace and the Bangalore fort. It is one of the rarest discoveries in the Karnataka capital relating to that period.
While the iron cannon weighs more than a ton, the weight of the cannonball is approximately 10 kg. The muzzle is about 3/4th of the cannon's size.
Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore between 1782 and 1799, was among the few Indian kings who introduced cannons very early in the warfare. He had fought the British rule bravely and earned the tag of 'Tiger of Mysore'.
Officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) immediately rushed to the spot and secured the site. "The gun is made of iron and has survived the extreme weather conditions because it was inside the ground all these years. We will know about the significance of the cannon once we start our study," Keshava T M, deputy superintending archaeologist, said.
The cannon and the cannonball were discovered in the old K.R. Pet area. The metro rail section between Majestic and K.R. Pet is underground.
Now, the ASI has directed the metro rail to carefully dig the area, as more such archeologically important material might be located there.
"This area has a high historical relevance. Much of the city was developed without examining the history or the heritage of this particular area. People have discovered many such items from the Tipu era. The government has to intervene and ensure that archaeological finds are preserved and protected," former mayor K. Chandrashekar said.
The ASI has assured that it would help the Metro in the matter. "…We still have to study a few details to ascertain the quantum of the gun powder that was used, the length of fuse point, muzzle molding and many other details. Such type of findings are usually collected and placed in the museum. The cannon needs to be chemically cleaned first and then shifted to a museum," Keshava said.
Source: IndiaToday.
Second Tipu-era cannon unearthed at Metro site shows deep secrets lie buried in old Bangalore
ANGALORE: It is a known fact that the KR Market area of old Bangalore is home to many historical and heritage sites. But the unearthing of two cannons on two consecutive days at a Namma Metro work site in the area show that old city's entrails hold deeper secrets.
Just a day after a 12-foot-long, two-foot diameter cannon weighing a tonne was unearthed on Thursday, a second cannon of similar dimensions, belonging to the Tipu Sultan period, was excavated by Metro workers on Friday. The second one was located a couple of metres away from the first one at the intersection of the Albert Victor Road and K R Road in front of Vani Vilas Hospital. Namma Metro is working on the underground section of its Southern reach in the area.
The spot where the cannons were found is a stone's throw from the Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple, the Bangalore Fort and Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace.
The discovery of the two cannons in close proximity to such historical sites is not an archaeological rarity. But the fact that they were found buried four feet under earth raises questions about the drama that might have accompanied the historical events the area witnessed in a bygone era.
The Bangalore fort was taken over by the British occupiers in 1791. Given the fact that Tipu deployed enormous fire power against his British enemies, it is natural that cannons were used. But archaeologists wonder why the cannons were buried.
KS Aruni, deputy director, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), said the cannons could have been buried after the Third Mysore war when the British East India Company captured the fort and the palace. The British soldiers might have buried the cannons and weaponry, hoping that there would be no more wars fought in a long period of time, he added.
"In Hubli and Gulbarga, cannons and weaponry were found inside the forts. But there have been no such findings in the Bangalore fort. It is known that the British seized the palace and the fort for 12 days. Hence the second possibility is that the British soldiers were transporting these cannons from the Mysore Gate of the Summer Palace (opposite Makkala Koota) to the Delhi Gate (opposite Vani Vilas hospital) and they decided to bury them in between the palace and the fort," explained Aruni.
He said the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation should document each and every finding with photographs and drawings, apart from handing over them to the ASI. "They could also unearth the pottery used by soldiers and weaponry used in that era," he added.
Source: TimesofIndia
The construction site, where the 18th century cannon was unearthed, falls between Tipu's summer palace and the Bangalore fort. It is one of the rarest discoveries in the Karnataka capital relating to that period.
While the iron cannon weighs more than a ton, the weight of the cannonball is approximately 10 kg. The muzzle is about 3/4th of the cannon's size.
Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore between 1782 and 1799, was among the few Indian kings who introduced cannons very early in the warfare. He had fought the British rule bravely and earned the tag of 'Tiger of Mysore'.
Officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) immediately rushed to the spot and secured the site. "The gun is made of iron and has survived the extreme weather conditions because it was inside the ground all these years. We will know about the significance of the cannon once we start our study," Keshava T M, deputy superintending archaeologist, said.
The cannon and the cannonball were discovered in the old K.R. Pet area. The metro rail section between Majestic and K.R. Pet is underground.
Now, the ASI has directed the metro rail to carefully dig the area, as more such archeologically important material might be located there.
"This area has a high historical relevance. Much of the city was developed without examining the history or the heritage of this particular area. People have discovered many such items from the Tipu era. The government has to intervene and ensure that archaeological finds are preserved and protected," former mayor K. Chandrashekar said.
The ASI has assured that it would help the Metro in the matter. "…We still have to study a few details to ascertain the quantum of the gun powder that was used, the length of fuse point, muzzle molding and many other details. Such type of findings are usually collected and placed in the museum. The cannon needs to be chemically cleaned first and then shifted to a museum," Keshava said.
Source: IndiaToday.
Second Tipu-era cannon unearthed at Metro site shows deep secrets lie buried in old Bangalore
ANGALORE: It is a known fact that the KR Market area of old Bangalore is home to many historical and heritage sites. But the unearthing of two cannons on two consecutive days at a Namma Metro work site in the area show that old city's entrails hold deeper secrets.
Just a day after a 12-foot-long, two-foot diameter cannon weighing a tonne was unearthed on Thursday, a second cannon of similar dimensions, belonging to the Tipu Sultan period, was excavated by Metro workers on Friday. The second one was located a couple of metres away from the first one at the intersection of the Albert Victor Road and K R Road in front of Vani Vilas Hospital. Namma Metro is working on the underground section of its Southern reach in the area.
The spot where the cannons were found is a stone's throw from the Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple, the Bangalore Fort and Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace.
The discovery of the two cannons in close proximity to such historical sites is not an archaeological rarity. But the fact that they were found buried four feet under earth raises questions about the drama that might have accompanied the historical events the area witnessed in a bygone era.
The Bangalore fort was taken over by the British occupiers in 1791. Given the fact that Tipu deployed enormous fire power against his British enemies, it is natural that cannons were used. But archaeologists wonder why the cannons were buried.
KS Aruni, deputy director, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), said the cannons could have been buried after the Third Mysore war when the British East India Company captured the fort and the palace. The British soldiers might have buried the cannons and weaponry, hoping that there would be no more wars fought in a long period of time, he added.
"In Hubli and Gulbarga, cannons and weaponry were found inside the forts. But there have been no such findings in the Bangalore fort. It is known that the British seized the palace and the fort for 12 days. Hence the second possibility is that the British soldiers were transporting these cannons from the Mysore Gate of the Summer Palace (opposite Makkala Koota) to the Delhi Gate (opposite Vani Vilas hospital) and they decided to bury them in between the palace and the fort," explained Aruni.
He said the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation should document each and every finding with photographs and drawings, apart from handing over them to the ASI. "They could also unearth the pottery used by soldiers and weaponry used in that era," he added.
Source: TimesofIndia
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