Workers engaged in digging a canal in Nadia district have stumbled upon a cannon, sparking excitement among the locals, a district official said.
The weapon is very old and it is about 4 feet 2 inches in length, Haringhata BDO Krishna Gopal Dhara said.
The cannon, made of brass, was recovered from Yamuna canal at Haringhata in Nadia district on Wednesday.
As the word spread, locals soon gathered at the spot to have a look at the cannon. They were also flocking to the local police station, where it has been kept, to have a glimpse of the artillery.
IC, Haringhata police station, Ashoktaru Mukherjee said, "We have kept it in the police station and informed the Archaeological department, so that experts can come and examine it.
"It was found at south Rajapur in Haringhata. While one end of the cannon is 17-inches in diameter, the body tapers to a 12-inch base on the other end. It has a handle to fix the cannon to a base, either on a carriage or a boat," he said.
The workers were digging the water body as part of the reformation of Yamuna canal, and they found the cannon during the process.
A network of canals existed in the area in ancient times and the Yamuna canal was dug to connect the Ganga to the Padma and the Ichchamati, Goutam Kirtania, chairman of Haringhata panchayat samity said.
"There was a 'Nil Kuthi', possibly occupied by indigo planters, near south Rajapur in Haringhata. The property had a ghat and British craft used to move along the canal to get there. So I think that the cannon found here, belonged to the British era," Kirtania said.
Another local resident Arunava Saha said, "I had heard from my ancestors that the canal was used during the Battle of Plassey in 1757, for moving arms and ammunition."
Plassey is about 112 km from Haringhata.
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