37,950 cannon balls unearthed

The cannonballs discovered from Kannur Fort are believed to be the largest ever collection unearthed from anywhere in India. It was during the digging of a pit for the light and sound show at the Fort last week that the cannonballs were found.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, ASI Archaeologist C Kumaran said that further steps on the cannonballs would be decided after the high-level meeting of ASI officials.

“We are done with the excavation process here on Sunday and will give a detailed report to the authorities. The cannonballs will definitely help in research,” he said. “The cannonballs are dumped without proper categorization in different sizes. If it was for storage purposes for use during the war, they would have definitely categorized it accordingly. Since it was not the case, I think those must be abandoned cannonballs,” he added.

The 500-year-old Portuguese-built St Angelo's Fort has become the main attraction of archaeologists and history students after the pile of cannonballs was uncovered from its premises.

The District Administration has requested ASI officials to establish a museum for preserving the cannonballs in Kannur itself. Kannur MP P.K Sreemathi also demanded proper ASI preservation of the cannonballs at the Fort site and added that she would take up the matter with the Minister concerned.