Bengalore: Construction workers at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute while excavating a foundation for the new block of BMRCI, stumbled upon a cannon possibly belonging to Tipu Sultan, around noon on Monday.
This is the third such cannon found in the area in the recent past.
The cannon was around 11 foot long and possibly weighs around 400 kg, said Arun Raj T., Superintending Archaeologist of the Archaeological Society of India (ASI), who visited the spot immediately after the discovery.
However, the historical significance of the find can only be confirmed after the cannon, which is covered in a layer of thick mud, is cleaned with a chemical wash. “Only after this, can we decide if the cannon should be protected by the Central Archaeological Department or the State department,” he said. Until then, the cannon will be under the custody of the district administration.
In November 2012, during excavations for the underground stretch of Namma Metro at the K.R. Market area, workers discovered two such cannons. K.R. Market is home to 17th and 18th century structures of Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple, Bangalore Fort and Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace.
Historians had believed that the cannons, which played an important role in the Third Anglo-Mysore War, was buried by the victorious British army in the area.
