Kundapura: A typical Hero-Stone was found near Kolluru, a famous pilgrimage centre of Shakti worship in India, and was discovered by Murulidhara Hegade, junior engineer of the temple. This discovery is very significant in the cultural history and the antiquity of Kolluru says Prof T Murugeshi, an archaeologist, in his press release here on February 10.
“Erecting memorial stones in honour of deceased ones was an ancient practice in the country. It was at least known from the megalithic period, when menhirs were erected in honour of the deceased. In historical periods, different types of memorial stones such as Hero-Stones, Sati-Stones were raised in different forms and styles elsewhere in the country,” says Prof T Murugeshi.
“It was also introduced in Coastal Karnataka and had different styles and forms. The present Hero-Stone under study was divided into five compartment or strips. Three of them display war scenes. In the fourth strip, four deceased warriors are shown sitting and with their hands raised over their heads and palms joined in a salute posture. In the fifth strip, four deceased are shown sitting on either side of a royal person. This royal person is shown sitting in a heroic posture on a chair. It is the peculiar feature of this hero-stone; deceased sitting near the god in the medieval hero-stones.”
The hero-stone under study was prepared in the style and form of medieval hero-stones. Hence, it is date-able to the 13th-14th century.