Vellore: A ‘nadukal’ known as hero stone erected in memory of a chieftain dating back to the Nayak era, besides a rare ‘sati’ stone containing a woman with two kids were found at Radhapuram village at Thandarampattu in Tiruvannamalai district.
The stone was erected during 15th century A.D., in memory of a warrior chief who fought valiantly to protect his people, according to archaeologist Prof R. Sekhar who along with archaeologists: Prof S. Premkumar, Prof A. Sudhaja and Sethu found these stones, recently.
The sati-stone is very unique as it depicts a mother with one child on the hip and an infant holding her finger. “The little one holding the lady's finger is that of a girl child and this stone portrays the life and times of women who possibly practiced ‘sati’ following their husband’s death,” Prof Sekhar says. He claims such practice is still in vogue in a few northern states even to this day.
Hero’s stones and also sati-stones are found in abundance in the Nayak-ruled areas of Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Chittoor, according to the archaeologists who are mapping the unique stones in the district.
