A silent witness to centuries of change of Neeleswaram

French cannon repurposed for metalwork in Neeleswaram sheds light on 18th-century battles, alliances, and mysteries.

Not known to many in Neeleswaram lies a French-made cannon, repurposed for metalwork at an ‘ala’ (traditional blacksmith shed) near Karimoola Padarkulangara Bhagavathy Temple. This artifact, now part of the blacksmith’s tools, symbolises the Neeleswaram dynasty’s struggles, alliances, and battles in the 18th century.

The cannon, long forgotten, resurfaced when history teacher Jayachandran Chamakuzhi read about it in Kanal Vazhikal Thandiya Jeevitham, a book by Theyyam artiste Kelu Panicker.

Intrigued, Chamakuzhi visited the site and engaged with local people. Dr. Nandakumar Koroth, a history teacher at Nehru Arts and Science College, referenced French texts suggesting the cannon’s French origins, confirming its historical significance.

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

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

Dr. Koroth explains that Neeleswaram’s cannon is part of the broader narrative of the Second Carnatic War (interference of the English and the French in politics of the native rulers with a view to enhancing their political power and area of influence), which extended far beyond Hyderabad and Karnataka. Duperron’s writings from 1771, including the first European translation of Zend-Avesta, offer vivid accounts of the era.

He had detailed how the King of Neeleswaram 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 pagodas. Eventually, the French captured the Mattalayi (Matelaye) Fort in 1752, but their victory was short-lived. They were defeated by the forces of the ‘Munnamkur’ Neeleswaram Raja in the Second Carnatic War.