Centuries-old cannonballs found in Udupi district

UDUPI: More than 1,000 items resembling cannonballs were found at Kotekani in Udupi district's Karkala taluk on Saturday, with experts suggesting they could be from the Tipu Sultan period.
According to Karkala town municipal council member and social worker Shubhada Rao, the stone balls were found during the construction on a private property. "As soon as people informed me about the discovery, I rushed to the spot," he told TOI. Suspecting that many more such cannonballs may have been shifted out, Rao said they were found at a depth of 4ft and were in different sizes and some weighed as much as 2kg. It is suspected they belonged to the Tipu Sultan period. Or roughly 250 years old.
Since these cannonballs are relatively light, they were possibly suited for use in early ordnance. Rao said they were in general use for large-calibre cannons centuries ago, he said.
There is a Veeramaruthi Gudi and Mariyamma temple near Karkala fort and those who were guarding the fort when Ikkeri Nayakas held the reins used to worship Veeramaruthi. The Nayakas ruled the area from 15th to 18th centuries.
Karkala tahsildar Purandar visited the spot and secured all the items before handing them over to the Karkala Town Police. Police said the items would be examined by officials from the department of archaeology, museums and heritage.