A typical hero stone has been discovered 5 km from Kollur Mookambika Temple by Murlidhar Hegde, a junior engineer of the temple. This discovery is significant for the cultural history and antiquity of Kollur, said professor T Murugeshi, an archaeologist and associate professor in Ancient History and Archaeology, M S R S College, Shirva in Udupi district. Kollur Mookambika temple, 135 kms from Mangaluru, is an important pilgrim centre. Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir Linga here, incorporating both Shiva and Shakthi.

Murugeshi says erecting memorial stones in honour of the deceased was an ancient practice in India. Menhirs were erected in the megalithic period in honour of the dead and different types of memorial stones such as hero stones and sati stones were raised in different forms and styles. It was also introduced in coastal Karnataka where it is found in different styles and forms. The hero stone is divided into five strips with bottom three depicting war scenes. The fourth shows four dead warriors sitting with palms joined over their heads in salutation. The fifth has carved figures of four dead persons seated on either side of a royal figure, seated in a heroic posture. This is a distinct feature of this hero stone. In medieval hero stones the deceased are generally depicted sitting near god.

“The hero stone under study was prepared in the style and form of medieval ones. It is datable to the 13th-14th century AD. The temple’s history dates back to 17th century to the Keladi kings. But there is a belief that Shankaracharya established the temple in the 8th century. There is no historical evidence of the period between 8th and 17th centuries, and hence, this Hoysala-style discovery is crucial,” said Murugeshi.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / BangaloreMirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 11th, 2015