MADURAI: Archaeologists have found a 15th-century nadukkal of a soldier mounted on horseback and a boar, the emblem of Vijayanagara Empire, carved on a stone at Uchhapatti in Thirumangalam here on Thursday.
According to an archaeologist, V Rajaguru of Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, the nadukkal, a stone installed in honour of a warrior, was found in the village. The embossed sculpture of a warrior mounted on a horseback with a spear in the right hand and a hold of the bridle on the left hand was carved on a stone with two-foot height and one and a half feet width.
The soldier with a hair bun is seen wearing a thigh-length dress with a chain in his neck and a bracelet. “The nadukkal could have been installed to honour a cavalry warrior. It faces north and is being worshipped as ‘Iyyanar’, an indigenous god by the villagers,” said Rajaguru.
A 10-foot long stone pillar mounted on a rock with a pedestal on its top is also found around 200 metres away from the nadukkal. The villagers call it a Perumal temple. The square-shaped base has symbols of sun and moon engraved in it. The pedestal also has a damaged inscription from the 18th century.
The damaged stones from the structure have been arranged on the rock. The etchings of a boar, the emblem of the Vijayanagara Empire, followed by a worshipper and a conch is seen to be engraved in a linear structure.
“Following the Vijayanagara Empire’s rule in Madurai, the residential zone of people from Andhra Pradesh have been formed in the surrounding area,” said the archaeologist.