Eighth Century hero stone discovered in forest area in Erode

The stone is 86 cm high and 75 cm wide and the characters are not fully readable

A hero stone dating back to eighth Century with Tamil inscriptions in Vatteluttu was discovered at Koothampalayam forest area in the district here recently.

Members of the Yaakkai Voluntary Organisation comprising Chithalingan, Sudhakar Nalliyappan and Kumaravel Ramasamy, found the hero stone on the premises of Veerabhadra Swamy temple that is located along the forest stream at the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border. The stone is 86 cm high and 75 cm wide and the characters are not fully readable, except a few words that are recognisable. The stone is erected in the memory of a warrior who died during a cattle raid. The warrior is depicted with a sword in his right hand and a bow in his left hand, facing the enemy with courage.

“This type of iconography is unique to Tamil Nadu, which can be seen in the early Pallava period hero stones. It seems the artists, who sculpt sculptures, have gone from Pallava country to Karnataka since the hero stone is not culturally mixed and follows the Tamil script and tradition even though it is located near the border”, said Mr. Kumaravel Rangasamy.