13th Century hero stones discovered at Talavadi

The stones had inscriptions in Tamil and Kannada

January 27, 2021 11:57 pm | Updated 11:57 pm IST - Erode

A 13th Century hero stone with Tamil inscriptions discovered at Thotta Mudukarai village in Talavadi, Erode.

A 13th Century hero stone with Tamil inscriptions discovered at Thotta Mudukarai village in Talavadi, Erode.

Four rare 13th Century hero stones erected in memory of heroes who killed cattle thieves were discovered at Thotta Mudukarai village in Talavadi here.

A team comprising John Peter from Talavadi Mayyam, and volunteers of Yakkai Foundation Sudhakar Nalliyappan and Kumaravel Ramasamy found the stones in the village. Their findings were confirmed by Senior Epigraphist S. Rasagopal.

The stones, with inscriptions in Tamil and Kannada, were reportedly erected in 1249 during the period of Vira Someshwara, a Hoysala King who ruled from 1234 to 1263.

The inscription on the first stone says, “In the Chiriya Mudhukarai (Thotta Mudukarai), Manjunan, the son of Rava Kamundan, stabbed four thieves and died.”

The second stone says, “Periyathazha Kamundan, the son of Kanga Kamundan and Kappanadazhvan, stabbed two thieves who came to loot cattle and finally died.”

The third stone says, “Maadhayan, son of Sankara Kamundan, and his second son fought with the thief who came for looting cattle and finally they died.”

The Kannada inscriptions on the fourth stone has been sent to the Mysore Archaeology Department.

All the incidents took place in the same year confirming that cattle thefts were common in those days, said the volunteers.

Many hero stones representing the cattle theft conflicts as “Aagol Poosal” have been discovered in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Vellore and Krishnagiri earlier. But this is the first time the such stones were discovered in Talavadi,” they added. The village is located near the Karnataka border and people, under the Kannada rulers, conversed in Tamil and Kannada.

The local people are still worshipping these 772-year-old hero stones as their ancestors, said the volunteers.

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