Guwahati, June 20 : Residents of Hatisila Village near Guwahati are absolutely elated after the recent archaeological discovery of large number of cannon balls, believed to be of Mughal period.

Following a discovery by the Archaeological Survey of India, villagers hope that the fate of their underdeveloped village will soon change.

In a bid to display archaeological findings, villagers are keen to construct a museum, where researchers can come, bringing more popularity among the outsiders.

"The villagers and the association have decided to keep the cannon balls here only. We are thinking to build a museum to preserve the cannon balls. It will be of great help to researchers and also for us," said Bonjit, a villager.

An official of the Archaeological department of Assam says that such finds are important for the place.

"It is very important particularly in a historic site for the preservation of the artefacts. When you take out historically significant artefacts from the historic site, it denigrates, it kind of destroys the sanctity of the historical site," Nilim Dutta, official of Archaeological Official, Assam.

These 165 canon balls dating back to the 16th century, tumbled out when a bull rammed his horns into a hillock at a construction site, which in ancient times was known as Pragjyotishpur. (ANI)