Historic 'dovecote' collapses

‘Dovecote’, one of the important historical monuments of the town, where hundreds of pigeons were being trained to send and receive messages during the regime of Tipu Sultan collapsed due to heavy rains that lashed the town on Saturday.

The monument, which is situated on the way to Sangam was already in a pathetic state — with cracks running over them.

The left portion of the dovecote collapsed and cracks can be seen on the other one too with roots running over the structure causing cracks. Moreover, dampness in the area, which is near Sangam is also said to be the reason for the collapse.

The structure, which is said to have been built using ‘churuku gare’ and burnt bricks was in the verge of collapse and several reports about conservation of the structure has only fallen on deaf ears.

It is said that Tipu sultan had used pigeons that were bred and trained here for sending messages.

The doves were used as postmen, when there was no department of posts.

The pigeons were trained to descend at the required spot, deliver messages, and return to the place of origin carrying reply, say pages of history.