Two identical British era cannons weighing 22 tonnes at Raj Bhavan. | Photo Credit: ANI

Mumbai: Two 22-tonne British era cannons were found on the premises of Raj Bhavan on Saturday. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao witnessed the cannon lifting operation and ordered that the historical relics be restored and preserved, a Raj Bhavan official said.

While the cannons were placed on the front lawns of Raj Bhavan for the time being, Rao has asked officials to install them in front of Jal Vihar banquet hall in the Raj Bhavan complex later.

The governor also instructed officials to seek the assistance of Indian Navy to obtain technical specifications of the cannons and dig out archival records, if any.

The cannons, covered in mud, were discovered on the foothill below the Raj Bhavan during a tree plantation drive a few months ago. Each of them weighs 22 tonnes, measures 4.7 meters in length and has a diameter of 1.15 meters.

In 2016, a 13-room, 15,000 sqft British-era underground bunker was found below the lawns of Raj Bhavan. It is now being restored, PTI reported. The governor has ordered for the creation of a museum inside the bunker.

Earlier, Bombay was a group of just seven islands separated by swamps. In 1534, the Portuguese captured these isles and established a trading outpost and named the place Bom Bahia - the good bay. Bombay was a deep sea port which meant that large vessels were able to dock there. This greatly increased its strategic significance. It required a fort, a garrison of soldiers and huge cannons around the major fort points to protect it from the raiding Dutch fleets and Indian pirates.