Vellore museum adds 18th century stone cannon balls to its treasure trove

The Government Vellore Museum on Wednesday,got to keep 134 stone canon balls belonging to the 18th century. The cricket sized canon balls were found by a farmer in Tirvannamalai district while he was engaged in farming activities in his field. The curator of the museum, K Saravanan informed that the balls weighed between 350g and 400g. They were 20cm in diameter and had a height of 5cm. According to him, the stones date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. During the reign of Tipu Sultan, several wars were fought between his kingdom and the British. The curator is of the opinion that the cannonballs could have been used during the second Mysore War between Tipu Sultan and the British in the 1780s. The stone balls are perfectly shaped and are a good example of fine craftsmanship. Saravanan said that the balls would have been used to attack the enemies and their facilities at a long range. The museum is already in possession of five stone cannonballs, two gun powder flasks and two iron cannons in its collection which are displayed in front of the museum. The canons and gun powder flasks were found inside the Vellore fort while the canon balls were retrieved from Arni and neighbouring places.