CHENNAI: Coimbatore’s connection to Kerala needs no introduction. The village Veera Keralam, located at the city’s outskirts, was under the rule of the Veerakeralas, who ruled the south Kongu region for around 250 years, between 945 CE and 1200 CE. An inscribed nadukal (hero stone) reveals more on their rule in Coimbatore.
The hero stone, which refers to the Veerakerala king Athiraja Rajan, was discovered by archeologist and former assistant director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department R Poongundran
thirty years ago at Selakarachal, a village near Sulur, said C Sivakumar, curator, Government Museum, Coimbatore. Three young history enthusiasts — S Anandakumar, R Kumaravel and N Sudhakar — painstakingly cleaned the hero stone.
The trio stumbled upon this hero stone and approached Sivakumar, who explained that the inscription had not been deciphered yet. Thus, in August 2019, they began cleaning the hero stone. They first washed it thoroughly with water, however, the inscription was still unclear. They then applied maida to the stone, and were able to see the lettering better. They deciphered the text and confirmed their interpretation with Poongundran.
“The inscription talks of a warrior from the Pooluvar community, an indigenous ethnic group of Coimbatore, who was killed in a fight while protecting his people. But, unfortunately, the part of the inscription with his name and the gifts made to him has been lost due to time. The hero stone was erected in the sixth regnal year of the Veerakerala king Athiraja Rajan in the 12th century CE,” said Anand.
Anandakumar is a tattoo artist, 29-year old Kumaravel is self-employed and 29-year-old Sudhakar works at a private firm. What brings them together is their passion for history. As they regularly participated in historical trips and lectures conducted by archeologists, the three bonded over their love for Kongu history, which they discovered only later in life, explained Anandakumar.
Knowing more about the past of their land gives them pleasure, he said. “To experience this pleasure, one does not need to look for a history-related occupation. Many epigraphists of Coimbatore are from different fields, with some being photographers, retired government officers, self-employed youth and even Science and Mathematics teachers,” he added. He went on to explain that the 800-year-old inscription mentions two areas as ‘Sirakerichal’ and ‘Pallodam’, which are now corrupted to Selakarachal and Palladam, both neighbourhoods in Coimbatore.
Once the hero stone was cleaned and deciphered, Poongundran, in one of his many visits to Coimbatore, confirmed the trio’s interpretation. “Though I discovered this 12th century hero stone from a farmland three decades ago, I found little time to decipher the inscription due to my busy work schedule and frequent job transfers. Nevertheless, I am glad that I have deciphered it now and given a fresh piece of information on Coimbatore’s history 30 years from its discovery. The inscribed hero stone seems to have waited for me after all these long years,” said Poongundran.