A hero stone, estimated to be 400 years old, discovered near Uppar reservoir in Kundadam block, Tiruppur.
17th Century hero stone discovered in Tamil Nadu
The stone depicts two men, a woman wearing ornaments and a child
A hero stone dating back to 17th Century was discovered recently by a team of archaeologists near Uppar reservoir in Kundadam block.
The team of four archaeologists from Virarajendran Archaeological and Historical Research Centre, including its director S. Ravikumar, discovered the stone on August 18. Estimated to be around 400 years old, the hero stone depicts two men, a woman wearing ornaments and a child. The men hold swords pointed to the ground. The woman holds a flower in her raised right hand and the child stands next to her, according to a press release.
With a height of 85 centimetres and width of 110 centimetres, the hero stone also has carvings of sun and moon on its rear side. “It signifies that the glory of these figures should last as long as the sun and moon existed,” Mr. Ravikumar told The Hindu. The men featured in this hero stone were probably local chieftains who owned lands, according to him.
Prior to this discovery, Mr. Rajendran said that the team had discovered menhirs at least thousand years old and 800-year-old statues of local deities in nearby villages.
“These discoveries indicate that people have been living on the banks of River Uppar for the past 2,000 years,” he said.