Nayak-era hero's stone found in Arani

Chennai: A hero’s stone dating back to the Nayak period (16th  - 17th century) was found in front of the Village Administrative Officer’s office in Poosimalaikuppam Village in Arani Block in the neighbouring Tiruvannamalai district. Arani is a town located about 140 km from Chennai.

Also a Sati-stone was found adjoining to this hero’s stone, which contains the figure of a valorous soldier who had sacrificed his life protecting his people. Sati-stones are found in large numbers in the Nayak-ruled areas of Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Chittoor, according to archaeologists Prof C. Jayavel and Prof R. Sekhar who found these stones, recently.

 The stone memorial commemorating the heroic death in battle, is three-and-a-half feet in height and two-and-a-half feet wide and he is depicted with bow and arrow in his hands, and decorated with ear rings and a dagger hanging at the hip. His hair is tied.

“During Karthigai deepam festival, the villagers offer worship to the man in this stone. He could have been a commander or a soldier who had died in war. And the stone could have been erected in his memory,” they said.

The Sati-stone found in the vicinity portrays the funeral custom where a widow immolates herself on her husband's pyre and such stones were erected for widows, praising their courage.