Chennai: Archaeologists from the state archaeology department have unearthed a hero stone belonging to the 5th century CE at a Sangam Age brick well at Karivalamvanthanallur near Tenkasi.The hero stone, one metre in length and 0.3m in breadth, has the ‘Karukkansulakan Nannan Kodiyan’, which experts claim could mean the stone was erected in the memory of Karukkansulakan’s son Nannan Kodiyan.“This is the first time we unearthed a hero stone during excavation. The Sangam-era (early historic period) brickwell could have dried up and might have been filled with stones and debris post-Sangam period,” said V P Yathees Kumar, excavation director of the site.The square-shaped brick stepwell at Karivalamvandanallur was the second-largest brick structure found from the Sangam period after Keeladi.K Rajan, advisor to Tamil Nadu state department of archaeology said the memorial stone belongs to the post-Sangam Age.“From the Pallava period, the stones have visual representations of heroes. However, the stones from Pulimankombai, Appanur and Mallikapuram have only Tamil Brahmi script. Based on the Palaeographical study, we can date it to the 5th century CE,” he said.The hero stones document the names of heroes and the cause of their deaths. In this hero stone, only a hero’s name and his father’s name are mentioned.The site, situated on the banks of Vaippar river near Malaiyadipatti in Tenkasi district, also yielded high tin bronze objects, iron objects, terracotta figurines, hopscotches, glass beads and microlithic tools.
