A silent witness to Neeleswaram’s centuries of change

The cannon, believed to be of French manufacture, is now being reused for metalworking at a traditional blacksmith’s shed near the Karimoola Padarkulangara Bhagavathy temple in Nileswaram.

What few people know about Neeleswaram is a French-made cannon, repurposed for metalworking in an ‘ala’ (traditional blacksmith’s hut) near the Karimoola Padarkulangara Bhagavathy temple. This artefact, now part of the blacksmith’s tools, symbolises the struggles, alliances and battles of the Neeleswaram dynasty in the 18th century.

The long-forgotten cannon resurfaced when history professor Jayachandran Chamakuzhi heard about it in Vazhikal Thandiya Jeevitham Channela book by artist Theyyam Kelu Panicker.

Intrigued, Chamakuzhi visited the site and talked to the local people. Dr Nandakumar Koroth, professor of history at Nehru Arts and Science College, referred to French texts suggesting the French origins of the canon, thus confirming its historical importance.

The cannon, about a metre long, lies half buried in PP Ravi’s shed. Ravi, a traditional blacksmith, uses it to shape metals, which is a testament to its enduring strength. He says the cannon has been in his family’s possession for generations, and is believed to have been passed down from generation to generation. Thamburan (king) of Neeleswaram. However, there is no documentary evidence to support this claim.

Koroth traces the origins of the cannon to the mid-18th century, citing the writings of Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil Duperron, a French scholar. On 3 December 1757, Duperron visited Neeleswaram and reported seeing a French cannon near Palai. This cannon, abandoned after a French military defeat on 22 June 1756, may have found its way to Ravi’s ancestors, who incorporated it into the ala.

Dr Koroth explains that the Neeleswaram canon is part of the larger narrative of the Second Carnatic War (English and French interference in the politics of indigenous rulers to increase their political power and sphere of influence), which extended far beyond Hyderabad and Karnataka. Duperron’s writings of 1771, including the first European translation of Zend Avestaoffer vivid accounts of the period.

He had detailed how the king of Neeleswaram had allowed the French to build a fort, only for it to be partially occupied by the Canarians (Ikeri Nayakans) when the king failed to pay 1,000 gold coins. pagodas. Finally, the French captured the fort of Mattalayi (Matelaye) in 1752, but their victory was short-lived. They were defeated by the forces of Raja ‘Munnamkur’ Neeleswaram in the Second Carnatic War.

The Karimoola cannon, considered proof of the French defeat, is a crucial historical piece of evidence, challenging the idea that the Anglo-French rivalry was confined to Hyderabad and Karnataka. Yet its true origins remain a mystery, as the core, which usually bears the stamp of the country of manufacture, is hidden beneath the base of the ala.

Historians and locals believe that further scientific studies are needed to uncover the full story. The discovery of cannon shells near the Peringala temple adds an extra layer of intrigue, suggesting that the area may have been the scene of more military activity than previously thought.