For a government museum that is located on the premises of a historic fort, cannons and cannon balls might not be new. But on Wednesday, the museum received a treasure trove of 134 small-sized cannon balls, which were brought from the neighbouring district of Tiruvannamalai.
The cannon balls, said to be nearly 200 years old, will from now on be kept for public display at the Government Museum, Vellore.
Jothi of Thokkavadi village, Chengam taluk in Tiruvannamalai, found these cannon balls when he dug up his land to plant banana saplings on February 19, 2015. Following the finding, the 134 cannon balls were taken and kept in safety at the treasury of Chengam taluk, according to K. Saravanan, curator, Government Museum, Vellore.
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“Each ball weighs nearly 350 to 400 grams. These balls are small in size, when compared to the cannon balls that we already have in the museum. These are 20 cm in diameter, and are believed to belong to the Tipu Sultan period, that is the 18th century,” he said.
He said there were several battles between Tipu Sultan and the British during this period in parts of Vellore, and Tiruvannamalai such as Chengam, and these cannon balls could have been used in these battles.
Following a letter from the Director of Government Museums, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai Collector ordered that cannon balls be handed over to the Government Museum, Vellore.
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On Wednesday, staff of the Chengam taluk brought the stones from Chengam, which is 80 km away, to the museum. “It will be kept on display for the public. We will display information on the balls,” he added.
Already, the museum is home to nearly five cannon balls, but that of bigger size, weighing 1 kg and even more. These balls were found inside the Vellore Fort and in Arni.
In fact, visitors to the museum cannot miss two cannons at the entrance. These two cannons were found in the Vellore Fort during 18th century AD. Two gun powder flasks found in the Fort during the same period have been displayed.