Ramanathapuram’s First Tamili Hero Stone Discovered In Appanur Village
Known as Natukal in Tamil, a hero stone is an ancient memorial erected to honor a warrior who died a heroic death
Published : June 2, 2026 at 3:19 PM IST
Ramanathapuram: Researchers have discovered the first and oldest 'Tamili' (Tamil-Brahmi) hero stone in Ramanathapuram district. Known as Natukal in Tamil, a hero stone is an ancient memorial erected to honor a warrior who died a heroic death.
The discovery was made in Appanur village near Mudukulathur, a region historically known as 'Sethupathi Seemai.' It was around two years ago that some locals unearthed a stone that had been lying buried in the Ariyanachi Amman Temple complex located in the Andiyendhal area of this village. This happened during renovation work for the consecration ceremony (Kumbabishekam).
The stone was subsequently placed near a tree within the temple grounds. It was spotted by Muniyasamy, a teacher from the Peraiyur region of Madurai district. He informed the Madurai based Pandya Country Historical Research Centre about this discovery. This led to Santhalingam, the Centre's Secretary and a renowned archaeologist and Assistant Researcher Udayakumar visiting the spot for an investigation.
They have transcribed and deciphered the specific inscription found on the stone. It was revealed that the text on the inscription was written in the 'Tamili' script, an ancient writing system dating back approximately 2,000 years. A distinctive feature of this specific script style is the absence of 'dotted' characters (pulli). The characters on the stone were carved precisely according to this convention. Furthermore, the hero stone itself is identified as belonging to a type of stone known as 'Vengach Chengal' (a variety of red stone or brick).
The inscription on the stone reads ‘Aa Pannur Eriya Maandu Vizhuntha Athiyan Keeran Kal’. The stone serves as a memorial erected in honor of Athiyan Keeran, a warrior who fell in the battle while defending Appanur.
Archaeologist Santhalingam suggests that ‘Athiyan’ is likely to represent the name of the father, while ‘Keeran’ is the name of the fallen warrior, the son.
He further stated, "This marks the first 'Tamil-Brahmi' hero stone inscription dating back over 2,000 years to be discovered within Ramanathapuram district. To determine the chronology of this inscription, the expertise of archaeologists, specifically Subbarayalu, Marxia Gandhi, and Rajagopal was sought. They have subsequently authenticated both the genuineness of the inscription and its historical period.”
He explained that the very name 'Appanur' was in usage as far back as 2,000 years ago and it is remarkable that the same name continues to persist. “Furthermore, this site stands as one of the fourteen 'Shiva Sthalams' (sacred Shiva shrines) located within the Pandya country that have been celebrated in devotional hymns," he said.
