Nayak era hero stone found near Perambalur

TRICHY: A 17th-century Nayak-era hero stone erected for a chieftain was discovered near a rural temple in Perambalur district. The stone was found by Perambalur-based historian M Selvapandian near Avva Thatha (grandmother - grandfather) temple, an open-air ancestral temple in Thaluthaalai village on Periyammapalayam road. It depicts a scene of funeral procession performed for the chieftain. The period of the stone has been estimated based on the inscription style. The rural temple has multiple irregular boulders of large and small size. Locals belonging to the Boyar community believe that hero stones were erected in memory of their ancestors. Among the stones, a unique rectangular stone was found by Selvapandian. Based on a study, he said the stone was erected for Savaaru Sinnavat Nayakkar, a chieftain in the historical Valluvapadi region that covered a portion of present day’s Thuraiyur and Musiri towns. The inscription identified the spot as Valluvapadi region’s Savaaru Sinnavat Nayakkar temple.The inscription shows Savaaru Sinnavat Nayakkar’s body in a sitting posture decorated with ornaments on a palanquin being carried by three persons. Soldiers with swords are seen guarding the front and rear of the palanquin. A decorated horse presumed to be that of the chieftain is also engraved, and there is a man with a royal umbrella in the procession. “It appears that the chieftain, on his visit to Vannaadu, met with an untimely death. A woman with a flower is seen at the funeral. We have recorded the discovery in ‘Aavanam,’ a Tamil book for recording archaeological findings,” Selvapandian said.