Tipu Sultan’s 1000 ‘war rockets’ found at Biodanoor Fort

Team Udayavani, Jul 29, 2018, 10:51 AM IST

• Rockets will be on public display soon at the department’s museum in Shivamogga city

Shivamogga: Over 1,000 “war rockets” of the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore state, Tipu Sultan, were found in an abandoned open well at Bidanooru Fort in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, said an official on Saturday.

 State Archaeology Department Assistant Director R. Shejeshwara Nayaka informed that the Excavation of the open well in the fort at Nagara near Shivamogga led to unearthing of over 1,000 corroded rockets that were stored during Tipu’s time for use in wars.

In 2002, around 160 unused rusted rockets were accidentally discovered in the vicinity and after an extensive 5 years of research they were identified to be of Tipu era. This inspired theDeaprtment to explore for more ammunition lying buried iun and around the fort.

“Digging of the dry well where its mud smelled like gun powder led to the discovery of the rockets and shells in a pile, each filled with potassium nitrate, charcoal, and magnesium powder used to fire or lob them using artillery,” Nayaka noted.

Since Wednesday, a 15-member team of archaeologists, excavators and labourers took three days to unearth the rockets along with gun powder and cast in rustic iron.

“The war rockets are in different sizes, measuring 23-26 cm or 12-14 inches. They were found buried in a secure place in the well-shaped place beneath the surface,” he added.

“The iron-cased rockets clearly show Tipu’s technology was used in making them. Some of them could even belong to Keladi Dynasty and the Wodeyar rulers of the Mysore kingdom after Tipu’s reign,” he explained.

Historically, from 1750-99, the Malnad region, including the fort area in Shivamogga was part of Tipu’s Mysore kingdom and the rockets were used in the wars Tipu fought against the East India Company of the British empire during the Anglo-Mysore war.

After successive victories in battles against the British rulers, Tipu Sultan was killed at Srirangapatna near Mysore, during the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in 1799.

Tipu was a pioneer in using rocket artillery and used to deploy the rockets to deter the advancing British forces from advancing into his territory.

Tipu developed the rockets with help of the French army, which used the British Congreve rockets in the wars its commander-in-chief Napoleon Bonaparte fought in Europe.