Hero stones / Veeragallu / Sati Stones / நடுகற்கள், Sri Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaral, Malahalli, Kambadahalli, Hale Budanur, Chikka Peta, Karnataka.

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26^th & 27^th January 2019.

During our temple heritage visit in and around Mandya, Karnataka, we came across many Hero Stones (Veeragallu), installed in villages and Temples. Some of them are unique, which we have not seen so far. The hero stones are installed in memory of the deceased person in a war or in the process of recovering the cattle, to the Kings who fought in the war, and Queens /ladies who took sati.

A SATI STONE - SRI MALLIKARJUNA TEMPLE, BASARAL.

This is a 3 tier Hero Stone erected in memory of a lady who took Sati. The Lady must be a queen. In the first level, the queen is taken on horseback. A lady holding an umbrella is also sitting behind her. In front of the horse, there are musicians playing musical instruments. This shows that the queen is being taken for sati in a procession.

In the second level, the queen is shown in a sitting posture, and two angels with whisks are shown, which means that she is taken to heaven.

In the third tier, the queen is shown in a sitting posture, praying in front of a Shiva Lingam and Rishabam. In addition to this, a sun and a moon are also shown. This shows that the queen was a saivite.

HERO STONE - SRI HANUMADESHWARA TEMPLE, BANNUR.

This single-stage hero stone was lying on the ground, on the back side of the temple. The hero at the center is holding a sword; there are two ladies and two men also shown. Since the Hero stone was highly eroded, I couldn’t find the full details. A Sun and a moon are also shown on top of the hero stone.

HERO STONES - SRI RAVALESHWARA TEMPLE, HERO STONES, MALAHALLI.

Usually, Ravaleshwara will be along with the hero stones, as a god for them. In this temple, Sri Ravaleswara is the main deity. Out of the 5 Hero stones found outside the Temple, one Hero Stone is unique. In that, two men are fighting. The left-side man with a sword in his right hand is shown, standing on another man who is in a flat position. The right-hand man is holding a spear. It was said that this hero stone was for a King.

 The man on the left is the hero, a king who stands on a man

HERO AND SATI STONES – PANCHAKUTA BASADI (A JAIN TEMPLE), KAMBADAHALLI.

In addition to the Niseethikai memorial stone (These are also memorial stones erected for the Jains who took sallekhana, i.e., fast till death), there are some hero and sati stones available at the entrance of Panchakuta Basadi. Of the available ones, 3 3-tier sati stone is a little clear. This sati stone was erected for a hero who died in a battle, and his wife took sati. In the second tier, the hero is shown with angels, and in the third row, the hero is doing a pooja to Shiva Lingam and Rishabam.

HERO STONES – SRI SOMESWARA TEMPLE AT HALE BUDANUR.

There are 3 hero stones kept at the entrance street to the temple along with Sri Ravaleswar. That one is a three-tier Sati hero stone erected for a hero who died in the process of recovering the cattle. In the second tier, only the hero without his wife is shown.

SATI STONES – NEAR SAVAPPAPETTA – CHIKKA PETA – KANAKAGIRI (ON THE WAY TO ANCIENT JAIN VESTIGE).

On the way to the Ancient Jain vestige, we came across three sati stones erected on the side of the road. All three sati stones are whitewashed. The first sati stone is a 4-tier Sati stone. In the first tier, two ladies, most probably queens, are taken in two separate palanquins. In the second tier, a war scene is shown with an elephant and two horses with soldiers. In the third tier, the queens are with the hero in a sitting posture. In the fourth row, the hero and his Queens are worshiping Lord Shiva with Rishabam.

The second one is a three-tier sati stone. In the first tier, the hero is sitting on the back of a horse,  fighting with his opponents. The opponents are holding swords and shields. In the second tier, the hero with his wife is shown in a sitting posture. In the top tier, the hero with his wife worships Lord Shiva.

ONDIKAI MASTI KALLU

The third one is also a Sati stone called Ondikai Masti. The hero and his wife are not shown. A hand that comes out of the sthamba is shown. On top of the sthamba, a fire jwala is shown, which means that the hero’s wife took sati by jumping into the funeral fire.

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---