TIRUCHY: Academics, L. Chandrahasan and V. Palanisamy, assistant professors of the Department of History, Arignar Anna Government Arts College, Musiri, stumbled upon an inscribed hero stone of ninth century (C.E.) at Karayan Kattuppatti, near Chemmedu, in Kolli hills of Namakkal district, while interacting with the locals for their research on tribal studies.
The inscription was deciphered with the help of Dr R. Akila and Dr M. Nalini, head, Department of History, Seethalakshmi Ramasamy College who visited the site and examined the hero stone in situ.
Dr R. Kalaikkovan, director, Dr M. Rajamanikkanar Centre for Historical Research here, said that the hero stone was buried on the left side of the village road that leads to Karayan Kattuppatti and is surrounded by dense vegetation. It measures 64 cm-in height from the ground level and 35-cm wide.
The top portion of the stone slab that measures approximately 20-cm is used for the four-line inscription that informs the enmity that existed between the people of Karainkattur and two individuals who lost their lives in skirmishes with some including one Thallambi. The severe damage suffered on the first line makes it impossible to recognize the other individual’s name, he added.
“A robust image of a young warrior is sculpted below the inscription with his right hand raised with a sword.
His left hand is in a tight fist and a dagger is tucked on the right side of his hip. Loose-fitting apparel that covers barely his hip and the thighs hang out like a triangular fold covering the lap. Both the ears are grown long and are devoid of any studs. The headgear is arranged with a central partition into two-side Kondai.
Since the sculpture is buried below thigh level his stance and other details are not made out,” he further said.
The discovery has been duly informed to the Department of Epigraphy at Mysoru and the State department of Archaeology, he added.
