Central University team discovers hero stone in Tirunelveli district

A team of students of Tamil Department, Central University of Tamil Nadu, has discovered a “nadukal” (hero stone) at Seevalaperi in Tirunelveli district.

According to a university release, the exploration was led by Professor S. Ravi of Tamil Department and during the field survey at Uzhavakudi Lake area, Seevalaperi, on February 15, the team discovered a massive hero stone, standing 15 feet tall and 4 feet wide, alongside smaller ones measuring 200 cm in height and 150 cm wide.

They examined large megalithic stone jars (kar kuvaigal), including a dilapidated 10-metre diameter example. Iron slag remnants indicate local iron smelting and tool use, confirming advanced metallurgy in the Uzhavakudi area near Adichanallur thousands of years ago.

These findings align with Heroic Age customs of erecting memorials for heroic deaths, akin to Adichanallur urn burials, extending 15 km east to this site with megalithic symbols. The hero stone’s sharp head-like tip underscore tall commemorative traditions pre-dating historical periods, the release added.