Huge hero stone found in TN’s Usilapatti depicts a vibrant man-tiger fight

CHENNAI: Two huge hero stones belonging to 16th century AD have been found in Nalluthevanpatti, a remote village located four km from Usilampatti in Madurai district.
It was while conducting a search for ancient inscription slabs in the region that rock art expert K T Gandhirajan found the hero stores. A hero stone is a memorial paying tribute to a hero.
With eight-foot-tall and four-foot-wide, the first stone is one of the biggest hero stones so far found in Tamil Nadu.
“It is divided into two layers. The bottom part depicts the scene of a fight between a tiger and the hero. The tiger is jumping towards the hero who in turn pierce a spear into the animal’s mouth by his right hand. It’s a very creative piece as the sculptor could catch the scene of fight vibrantly,” said Gandhirajan, according to whom it is one of the biggest hero stones so far found in TN.
The upper panel of the hero stone shows the hero riding a horse while his attendants hold a long umbrella.
The second hero stone is four-foot-tall and 2.5-foot-wide. It shows a man riding a royal horse. The image of a lady holding a pot in her hand and another assistant holding an umbrella to his master.
“Both the stones lie neglected. We need to study them in detail. Only then we will know the significance of them,” he said.