Don't get distracted by the orange thing! I've seen this trough for as long as I can remember, lying near our front gate. We used to sit on it often [children were playing out on the footpaths and they relaxed on it, conveniently]. I also remember this trough being filled with water for the cows to quench their thirst for some time. But we discontinued filling as some passing young rascals used to add mud and dirt to the water, much to our dismay. It was lying dry for many years. Now that I have brought it to my garden from there [the other house I mentioned in another thread], I plan to fill it with water and put a water lily in it. It may take some time as the house is under renovation and so will be my garden [another story].
This trough is roughly 4x2x1 1/2 ft. I must describe how this heavy object was brought. We engaged a bullock cart with a wooden platform. The bullock was unharnessed and the platform's rear was touching the ground at an angle. The trough, with the help of 3 people had been pushed and placed on its shorter side. The platform was now placed beside it. He had tied a rope in such a way that the trough would not slide back and fall. Now it needed 5 people - neighbours helped - to pull the cart down by holding the front with great effort, at the same time, it was done, 2 people pushed the trough into the cart's platform with all their might. It was lifted up and when the platform was horizontal, we stopped pulling the front. The cart driver precisely placed it where the bullock did not feel the weight by fine tuning. Then it made a journey of half a mile to my house. I had decided where to place it. So the cart entered - where the orange vessel is seen - and I told him precisely where I wanted. He adjusted the angle of the cart to suit my wish and finally unharnessed the bullock, then lifted the cart up so that the trough slid and fell 'thud' on its bottom, while he pulled the cart forward. It was an interesting circus. This now lies inside our front gate.
It has a name engraved on it. "Thangachammal" a lady's name. The house there is more than 100 years old [most likely] which my grandfather had bought in 1950. There was a cow shed [which was rented to families once there were no more cattle]. That indicates its origin there. Probably, it belonged to an ancestor of the person [another lady who sold that house to my grandfather]. About that cow shed's inhabitants -- very interesting. In 58 years, about 6-7 tenants have lived in it. 5 of them have gone on to build their own houses later! Such is the fact of the place!
http://www.english-garden-antiques.co.uk/stonetroughs.html Shallabella gave this link when I mentioned about this trough in another thread. I bring it up here. I found this very interesting and also discovered its antiquity! Will get a full picture of it later on.
Dinu
