Decades ago, a pile of five large rectangular-sized granite stones near Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai were used as slabs to wash clothes by women in the village before the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department overturned them and found they were hero stones dating back to Pallava period of 7th century.
That was in 1972. They studied the engravings on the structures and documented them. They also built a wall behind the memorial pillars on the open Vediyappan temple, a temple meant for the worship of heroes who lost their lives fighting for territory or livestock.
Years later, efforts have been made by a team of experts from the department to give life back to these heritage structures as part of promoting local history in the State. “In Chengam area, over 400 hero stones, including 110 memorial pillars without inscriptions, were found. The idea is to conserve local history and encourage local tourism,” N. Rajesh, Assistant Engineer of the department, told The Hindu.
Of the five hero stones found in the village, three belong to the early Pallava era, one to Parantaka Chola (907 - 955 A.D) and the last one to the Vijayanagara era. Inscriptions were found in hero stones during the Pallava and Chola periods, whereas in later periods, especially during Vijayanagara, such stones did not have inscriptions as prominence was given to portraits.
Except for one, the other four hero stones in the village have inscriptions along with the sculpture. “Hero stones are commonly found on border areas that witnessed territorial battles and cattle thefts. Such memorial pillars were found in North and South Arcot districts that were once part of Tondaimandalam region during the Chola period,” explains K. Sridaran, former deputy director of the department.
It was during the reign of Pallava king Mahendravaraman - I (629 A.D) that the first hero stone was erected in the village for the headsman, who lost his life saving cows in the village. The other two stones that were erected by Pallavas were during the rule of Narasimhavarman-I and II in the period 641 A.D and 729 A.D, respectively.
The sculptures in the stones depict a hero, a bow and a dagger. In Mahendravaraman’s stone, an arrow is shown pierced through the chest of the hero, indicating that he would have died after getting hit by an arrow.
As part of restoration, fungus formation on the hero stones will be cleaned, making the sculptures brighter. A small wall with grill fencing around the stones will be built. Inscriptions will be cleaned. A small gate will be provided to allow visitors. A board with a brief history of the stones will also be placed.
The villagers will be given the charge of protecting the hero stones from vandalism and promoting local history.
