Rare 800-year-old hero stone of later Chola era found in T’malai village

Chennai

According to the research centre’s secretary Balamurugan, the stone was located in the Ayyanar Temple in Kalinjukuppam village. It was first found by DRO S Janaki and based on her inputs, the team which visited the spot and deciphered the stone said the stone was around 800-years-old and belonged to the later Chola period. The stone depicts a man with rings in his ears and necklaces around his neck holding a short sword in his right hand while in his left hand he holds the right hand of his wife. The mode of dress and crown on his head reveal that this stone might depict the death of the wife on hearing of the death of her husband. As hero stones are usually found in hills and forests and as this was one of the rare stones which was found in a habituated area, locals feel that it might be an important hero stone which should be further studied to learn more about that era, Balamurugan added.