Hero stone
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Hero stone (viirakkal in Tamil or virgallu in Kannada) is an Indian memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle in India. A hero stone can display a variety of adornments, including bas relief panels, statutes, and figures of carved stone.[1] Usually they are in the form of a stone monument and may have an inscription at the bottom with a narrative of the battle.
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[edit] Findings
The Tamil Nadu Department of Archeology recently found several hundred hero stones that had been erected in the memory of warriors who sacrificed their lifes defending their community or region. Scholars call these hero stones veeragallu or virakkal. Those that are carved with inscriptions detail the acts of the hero, the battle involved, and the name of king in whose name the battle was fought. The stones are found alone or in groups, usually near a tank or lake outside a village. [2]
Recently a hero stone has been unearthed, dating from 9th century of the Pallava king Dantivarman, in which the hero is riding a galloping horse, beautifully dressed and carrying a spear.[3] Another was recently recovered at Pappapatti in Usilampatti taluk and probably dates from the 18th century. The ancient stone shows a warrior posed heroically, accompanied by his wife who holds a flower. Many of these statues have been recovered over southern India depicting heroic warriors in battles. Creating hero stones had been prevalent since the Sangam period, dating back 2,300 years[4], and continuing until the Nayak and post-Nayak period around 200 years ago.[5] Hero stones were not only for persons. A hero stone made to commemorate the favourite hound of a Western Ganga Dynasty King Butuga II who died fighting a wild boar has been found.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hero-stone Memorials of India. Kamat Potpourri. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- ^ Dolmens, Hero Stones and the Dravidian People. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- ^ Pallava period 'herostone' unearthed in Vellore dt.. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- ^ 2,300-year-old hero stones found in Theni district. The Hindu. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ 'Hero stone' unearthed. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
- ^ Altekar (1934), p351
[edit] References
- Altekar, Anant Sadashiv [1934] (1934). The Rashtrakutas And Their Times; being a political, administrative, religious, social, economic and literary history of the Deccan during C. 750 A.D. to C. 1000 A.D. Poona: Oriental Book Agency. OCLC 3793499.
