Karnataka: Tipu Sultan era rockets recovered from well in Hosanagara taluk

During a recent excavation, rockets used during the tenure of Tipu Sultan were recovered from Old Bidanuru village of Hosanagara taluk.
Shivappa Nayaka Palace situated on Kote Road in Shivamogga | Shimoga Nandan
Shivappa Nayaka Palace situated on Kote Road in Shivamogga | Shimoga Nandan

SHIVAMOGGA: During a recent excavation, rockets used during the tenure of Tipu Sultan were recovered from Old Bidanuru village of Hosanagara taluk. Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage (DAMH) has taken up research of the find made in the area where the Keladis ruled. The finding of the rockets is posing a challenge for historians and archaeologists to ascertain if there were friendly ties between Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, rulers of Mysore, and the Keladi rulers of Shivamogga district.

On July 25, under the leadership of Commissioner of DAMH G Venkatesh, a team of excavators recovered 1,000 rockets from the silt of a well within land that belongs to Nagaraj Rao in Old Bidanuru village. The rockets will soon be part of the museum at Shivappa Nayaka Palace in Shivamogga.After he purchased the land in 2002, Nagaraj Rao went about cleaning a well in its premises. He came across some shells made of iron. The farmer handed over 160 such shells to DAMH.

It was noticed that three similar shells were housed in a museum in Bengaluru. This led archaeologists to come to the conclusion that the rockets discovered by Nagaraj were made during the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, according to Assistant Director of DAMH Shejeshwar. He said, “The department decided to excavate the area where some rockets were found earlier. The silt that was removed from the well in 2002 still remained heaped in a part of the land.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com