A Pallava era hero stone traced to the 7th century was discovered by a group of archaeology enthusiasts in Kookudapatty village near Harur. It is the third in the line of hero stones discovered in the same location and bearing the name of Eachuvaravaraman, a Pallava ruler.
The hero stone was discovered by Yaakai Foundation, a local archaeology collective. The group of Arun Kumar, Sudhakar Nalliappan and Kumaravel Ramasamy were visiting Kookudapatty village, 10 km off Harur to document hero stones, when they found the hero stone kept for worship.
Mr. Ramasamy told The Hindu the hero stone was found by a local family, while clearing an agricultural field. The stone was moved to be kept alongside two other hero stones that were discovered earlier in the village for worship.
The hero stones were erected valorising the martyrdom of those men, who had fought to claim pastoral lands in the conflicts that arose between clans that contested over pastoral lands in the area, says Mr. Ramasamy.
While the group spotted the hero stone around February, they had it vetted by R. Poongundran, retired Assistant Director of Archaeology well-versed in the study of hero stones across the State.
The latest hero stone of Kookudapatty is of 120 cm height and 115 cm width. Written in Tamil Brahmi script, the hero stone speaks of the death of a lieutenant of one Vanaathiarasar, during a conflict and his death in the conflict.
Two more hero stones were recovered from the same area, says Mr. Poongundran. An earlier hero stone bears the name “Paramthaayar, which literally would mean big family taking after the word “Param”. The name was that of a clan chief, or chief of a pastoral land nurtured along river banks, according to Mr. Poongundran. While all the three hero stones were attributed to the rule of Eachuvara Varman, the names in the hero stones is supposed to have been that of the local chiefs, who directly led the people, says Mr. Poongundran.
The hero stones were found on the northern flank of the Kalvarayan hills, which is a pastoral area. They valorise the death of a leader to protect life and property and are direct historical documents of a people under a ruler.
Yaakai Foundation comprising of 10 members had been documenting hero stones, rock arts and megalithic sites, especially in Kogu region, says Mr. Kumaravel. “We have so far documented over 1,000 hero stones and this region is particularly known for its hero stones. Dharmapuri has an exclusive museum for hero stones,” says Mr. Kumaravel, a science graduate who gravitated to archaeology after a diploma in archaeology and epigraphy.
