The piece of artillery was found last week near Gol Masjid in south Mumbai during civic work
The cannon has now been shifted to the Archaeology Directorate’s premises near St George Hospital
Days after a cannon was unearthed during civic work in south Mumbai, activists have been rushing from one authority to another to preserve the piece of artillery. While they have already informed the archaeology department, the volunteers have also approached the Mumbai Mayor with hope.
Activist Chandan Vichare said the about 8-foot-long cannon was found near Gol Masjid by BMC contractors carrying out road concretisation on March 5. “I have written to the Mumbai Mayor to direct the heritage wing of the BMC to preserve it in one of the gardens at Dadar. This way, we could save the relic and at the same time beautify the garden with an authentic piece of history,” he said.
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A number of cannons have been lying around south Mumbai’s Fort area. The large-calibre guns were once mounted on the walls of Fort George, which was brought down around 1864. The fort had only three gates-the Apollo gate, the Bazar gate and the Church gate. As the city developed after its demolition, trams arrived and many of the cannons that lay around for years eventually got buried under streets.
While Mayor Kishori Pednekar was not reachable, civic official said they will try to get the cannon moved to a different place. Late in the evening, sources said the state’s Archaeology Directorate has taken the cannon from where it was found to their premises near St George Hospital. They will later take a call on its preservation.
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