By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Herostones used to be erected during medieval era to commemorate the great heroes for showing remarkable bravery or for sacrificing their lives in battle. While herostones are widely found in different parts of India, in Odisha we also see them often. The construction era of Odisha Herostones may be assigned to a period ranging from the Bhauma ruling period (9th century) to the British period (19th century).
Such artefacts actually represent the glorious chapter of Odisha’s military history. Usually in a herostone, we see a warrior depicted in a fighting posture or worshiping a deity. Some herostones are inscribed from which information about the hero can be obtained. Recently, during a survey related to ancient inscriptions of Odisha conducted by the ‘Kalinga Epigraphical Research Group’, an inscribed Herstone is documented. It is identified by Deepak Kumar Nayak & Mihir Bahinipati in Chandramapatapur Sasana village in the Sadar block of Khurda district.
K.E.R.G. member & History Researcher Deepak Kumar Nayak had said “We found this herostone near the Bhairavi temple in Chandramapatpur village in a neglected state.” The image of a warrior riding over one elephant is carved on this herostone. An arrow shot from the hero’s bow pierces an enemy soldier, and at the bottom of the statue we see the picture of some cavalrymen marching with horses. Three lines of inscriptions are found inscribed in top section of the image. The inscription was engraved in Odra Nagari script and Sanskrit language used in Kalingotkal region around 11th/12th century CE, said Mr. Nayak. Although some parts of the inscription are now damaged by weathering and lime coating, we were able to read some words. We have fixed it as below.
Line1- Shree Ranaka Sheeya Dasah
Line2- Brahma__sannipatayanim
Line3- Hastibhaga_ti ja_dharmorahe
From this record it can be said that the Ranaka (general) Shia Das, a Gajarohi warrior, destroyed many enemies in battle and was a hero who used to fight following dharma.
According to K.E.R.G. member Mihir Bahinipati, many such herostones are found scattered in Nirakarpur and its surrounding areas such as Malisahi, Gadakharada, Tipuri, Mugapadar etc. All these may be a reflection of the war activities occurred here during the Utkala campaign of King Devendra Barma Rajaraja (father of Chodagangadeva), the Eatern Ganga King of Kalinganagara. It is worth mentioning here that a few decades ago, a copper plate grant of Rajaraja Deva’s chief representative Udayakhedi was found from Nirakarpur close to Chandramapatapur.
However, more research is needed to know the proper history associated with this hero. These ancient herostones found in the border areas of Puri-Khordha district and the villages on the shores of Chilika Lake remain as the mute spectators of the glorious war history of Odisha. A museum should be set up in the local area and all these historic herostones could be kept together so that the common people can realize their historical importance, said researcher Bahinipati.
