New sculptures show men with drawn sword, women holding handcrafted fan
A group of amateur historians has unearthed a small cluster of hero stones in the village of Kalvarala in Wanaparthy district, a report in The Hindu, says.
While memorial stones depicting figures of men are not uncommon, the three sculptures show the men with a drawn swords and the women holding handcrafted fan in the right hand.
“We have dated these sculptures to the 14-15th century based on the hairstyle, dress, jewellery and appearance. The sculpture of women with bangles is to indicate that they died as wives and not as widows,” said S. Haragopal who led the team of historians based on local information.
Hero stones are commonly found in many parts of Telangana but have mostly remained undocumented, and there has been no attempt at preserving them.
These hero stones throw light on social practices as well as social conditions. “These men were warriors and guards. They would protect women, children, and go to war to fight for their village,” says Mr. Haragopal.
In Telangana a number of Hero Stones have been reported. They belong to Kakatiya and Post Kakatiya period (11th Century to 15th century AD). The idea beyond depicting commemorative stones is in honour of heroes who laid down their lives for noble causes such as religious, social or political.
The word ‘Virakal’ or ‘Viragal’ literally means Hero Stone (Vira-Hero, Kallu- a stone). These stones are noticed extensively in Telangana and North Karnataka Districts. Some of the Hero Stones contain inscriptions in simple Telugu or Kannada recording the name of the hero and his deeds.
Over time, many of these Hero stones have disappeared as land under farming in the state has increased. Only sculptures that are part of temple complexes have survived.
The Hero Stones displayed in the museums are :- State Museum, Public Gardens, Hyderabad, District Museums at Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Site Museums like Alampur, Kolanupaka, Singur and at historical places like Fort Warangal.
The viragal sculptures with inscriptions engraved on them mentioning the names of famous generals and warriors are on display in the Alampur Museum and District Museum, Warangal.
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