Cannons found in Kerala temple puzzle archaeologists

The Story in Brief

Two cannons discovered at the Adoor Mahalingeswara temple in Kasaragod have drawn historians’ attention for their possible pre-British origin. Nandakumar Koroth, a history professor who visited the site, says the alloy suggests an 18th-century or earlier date. The cannons bear no European markings, hinting at local manufacture and a time before British rule in South Canara around 1800. One is 96 cm long, the other 90 cm, both with trunnions for wheeled carriages and a top opening for gunpowder.

Oral tradition links the cannons to Tipu Sultan’s late-18th-century campaign, but no inscription or record supports this. Kannada scholar N. Radhakrishna notes that while temple inscriptions document Kumbla dynasty donations, none mention the cannons. Locals recall unearthed cannonballs nearby, but proof remains elusive. The temple’s known 10th-century origins and later renovations add layers, but the cannons’ origin stays a mystery.