About 4,000 old cannon balls were recovered from the St. Angelo Fort here while the earth was being dug up to lay electricity cables for a light and sound show facility to be installed inside the fort protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
ASI officials said cannon balls of different sizes were found while the earth was dug up for electrical works. Though initially only a few cannon balls were found, thousands were found as they dug further.
A team of ASI officials led by Assistant Archaeologist C. Kumaran unearthed the cannon balls under the guidance of ASI Superintending Archaeologist T. Sreelakshmi. The ASI officials said the age of the balls would be ascertained after detailed examination.
They said 4,000 balls of different sizes had been unearthed so far. They said more cannon balls were expected to be unearthed.
The fort was built by the Portuguese in 1505. It was later controlled by the Dutch and the British. The chance recovery of old cannon balls throws light on the strategic importance of the fort in the past.
