Four cannons have been excavated from the premises of the 250-year-old Government Queen Mary’s Girls High School building located in the One Town Area of Visakhapatnam.
What began as a regular exercise of digging for the construction of an additional block of classrooms on Thursday turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the construction workers when they stumbled upon the four cannons when they dug up to six feet below the ground. Unable to figure out what they carefully scooped out, the workers informed the school staff about their discovery.
Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the century-old school is being renovated at a cost of ₹17.6 lakh. “The work began on Thursday near A.P.J. Abdul Kalam block of the premises. The additional block is being built in place of the five old classrooms which are in a dilapidated condition,” said K. Suvarna, in-charge headmistress of the school and deputy inspector of schools (urban).
Visiting the construction site, V. Edward Paul, researcher and member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), told The Hindu that old records revealed that there was an armament depot near the school during British rule.
To study markings
“Visakhapatnam was then the headquarters of the northern division of the Madras Army. While most of the armaments were shifted to the erstwhile Madras from the arsenal, a few were moved to Singapore. However, there is a possibility that some of them could have been left behind. Unless the markings of the cannons are traced, it is difficult to date these weapons,” said Mr. Paul.
The Government Queen Mary’s Girls High School already has three such dummy cannons on its premises. “We are now working with the authorities concerned whether the additional cannons can also be placed along with the other three dotting the entrance of the school,” said K. Suvarna, in-charge headmistress of the school.
According to art teacher of the school Anil Joshi, the cannons will lend new historical relevance of the heritage site to the students.
Officials visit school
The school management informed District Education Officer G. Nagamani who visited the premises to have a look at the cannons unearthed. Later, SSA project officer T. Sivaramakrishna, officials from GVMC, police and revenue departments inspected the weapons surfaced at the site.
