The
visit to this Group of Hero Stones at Tiruvottiyur was a part of the “Hero Stones
and Siddhars of Tiruvottiyur Visit” on 11th September 2022.
During the Pallavas, Chozhas, and Pandyas periods, the Kings were guarded by warriors, who took an oath/vow before Kotravai / (Latter) Durgai to give Navakandam, Arikandam, Thoongu
thalai, etc, if anything happened to the King after crossing them. The reason may be
due to the negligence of the warrior/guards or being overpowered by the enemy's forces. The Chozhas had an army force called “Vela
Padai” and the Pandyas had the “AapathuthavikaL”, a special warrior group who
guards the King always.
There are many reasons
for giving Navakandam before Kotravai or Durgai.
- When victory couldn’t be assured during the war, the hero will sacrifice himself in front of Durga, believing that Durgai would give victory.
- For the well-being of the King or Queen.
- A person found guilty and declared to be killed took Navakandam with the permission of the King to die as a Hero.
- When a person expected death in the war or due to disease and left some commitments to be completed, he prayed to Durgai to extend his life. After completion of the Commitment, the person will sacrifice himself in front of Durgai.
Sacrificing by the Heroes will be done in many ways. They are, Navakandam, arikandam, Thoongu thalai etc,. In Navakandam, the hero will cut the blood vessels in 9 places on his
body and finally cut his head. In Arikandam, the hero will hold his head with
one hand and cut off his head with the other hand. In memory of the Hero,
his blood relatives used to erect the Hero stone, which contains the image of the
warrior, which depicts the incident of the Hero’s death.
A Group of 8 Such warriors'
Hero stones is under worship on the North Mada Street of Tiruvottiyur. These Hero stones belong to the 9th
Century Pallava period. It was learned that sacrificing was done in front of the Vattaparai Amman sannidhi of Sri Padampakka Nathar Temple / Adhipureeswar
Temple of Thiruvottiyur. Even now, we can see an entrance on the high Compound
wall in front of Vattaparai Amman Sannidhi.
NAVAKANDA ARIKANDA HERO STONES
Out of the 8 hero stones, 7 are Arikanda Hero Stones. These Hero stones are a little different
from the similar hero stones available in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Here, all
the Heroes are in kneeling position. The same posture can be seen in the Kotravai
Panels at Mahabalipuram, Thirupullamangai, and other places. All the heroes are holding the sword in
their right hand and holding the tuft in their left hand. All the heroes are wearing
ornaments on their necks and half-dresses below the waist.
THOONGUTHALAI HERO STONE.
Out of eight
Navakandam Arikandam Hero Stones, one near the Veerabhadra idol is a Thoonguthalai
Hero Stone. Usually, in this form, the hero will be sitting in padmasana. The
hands will be in meditation posture or Anjali hastam. His head will be tied to
a bamboo stick. After Poojas to Durgai, a person will chop the hero’s
head with the sword. As soon as the head is cut, the head will be lifted upwards.
But in this case, the hero himself is cutting his head with his sword in a kneeling position.
The process of
giving Thoonguthalai is recorded in the Sangam literature, like Manimegalai,
Kalingathuparani, etc. A few lines of the poems
are given below.
“உலையா உள்ளமொடு உயிர்க்கடனிறுத்தோர் தலைதூங்கு நெடுமரம்….”
“வீங்குதலை நெடுங்கழையின் விசைதொறும்
திசைதொறும் விழித்துநின்று தூங்குதலை….”
LOCATION OF THE HERO STONES: CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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