COIMBATORE: A nearly 1,500-year-old hero stone from the reign of Pallava king Simhavishnu at Malluthu in Dharmapuri district records a warrior’s death in a cattle raid conflict and also sheds light on political hierarchy and early Tamil writing practices.
Written in Vattelutthu, the rare inscription naming the sixth-century ruler commemorates Keeranthai Maayan, who died during the conflict at Uthappi, and refers to the territorial division of Kovur Nadu.
“He is identified as a subordinate leader serving under a local chief called Kangilavaraisar and as a retainer of Simhavishnu. These references provide valuable evidence for understanding the political relationships and hierarchical structures that existed in the region during the Pallava period,” said Kumaravel Ramasamy, who leads the Yaakkai Trust, which documented two hero stones. Simhavishnu was the father of Mahendravarman I, from whose reign rock-cut cave temples survive in Tamil Nadu.
Renowned historian and epigraphist Y Subbarayalu, who confirmed the Malluthu inscription’s text and significance, told TNIE that surviving dots helped researchers interpret the writing accurately.
“Barring a few inscriptions, the practice of placing dots gradually disappeared after the ninth century. For instance, the Tamil word for calf, ‘kandru’, could be read as ‘ka-na-ru’ without the dots, and only someone familiar with Tamil could understand the intended meaning from the context. Since placing dots would damage palm leaves (olai), the practice was not followed in stone inscriptions either,” he said.
Researcher Sudhakar Nalliyappan said the consonants and short vowels ‘e’ and ‘o’ were clearly marked with dots, reflecting a writing convention associated with the Tolkappiyam. “The inscription demonstrates that carefully executed and linguistically significant writing traditions were maintained even in the interior regions of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
References to Paruman, Araisar, Makkal and Sevakan illuminate different levels of authority and service. These terms offer insights into relationships between rulers, local chiefs, subordinate leaders and retainers.
The Malluthu stone was earlier identified by researcher A Chandran and his associates in December 2025. Ramasamy, Nalliyappan and researcher Bala N subsequently studied and documented it. Measuring approximately 72 cm high, 89 cm wide and 11 cm thick, it depicts a warrior holding a short dagger and shield, wearing a waistcloth and sporting elongated earlobes.
A warrior’s fight with boars
Another hero stone at Sottandahalli in Palacode taluk bears an inscription the researchers date to 1299 CE, during Hoysala ruler Vira Vishwanatha’s reign. Images of the sculpture appeared earlier this year on a blog run by Thirumarban Tamilselvan. The Yaakkai Trust team has now studied and documented the sculpture and the inscription.
The king’s name appears as Vira Vijayanadevar, which the researchers identify with Vira Vishwanatha. It names Vira Someshwara as his grandfather and Vira Ramanatha as his father, linking the dynasty to the Tagadur region.
The researchers said they cross-verified their findings on the inscriptions with Subbarayalu and Hoysala scholar Shashidhara HG. According to the researchers, Vishwanatha began his reign in 1294 CE, with his fifth regnal year corresponding to 1299 CE. Inscriptions from his reign are relatively rare in Tamil Nadu, they said.
The memorial honours Umaidevan, who died protecting a settlement against wild boars. It mentions Simidayattru Pulikkal and a local authority, Adhikari Velali Puliyan.
The team gave measurements of 94 cm in height, 110 cm in width and 17 cm in thickness for the inscribed slab, and 123 cm, 113 cm and 16 cm respectively for the hero stone. The warrior carries a short sword and wears ear ornaments, necklaces, armlets and a waistcloth secured with a belt.