Hero Stone at Lal Bagh

March 26, 2015

I was rather surprised to see this hero-stone (Veeragallu) and a broken statue of Nandi. Surprised because I don't remember seeing it during my countless visits to Lalbagh. The hero-stone and Nandi are partially buried in dirt at the base of the granite hillock, very close to the car parking area inside Lal Bagh.

Going by the remains of the Nandi, it must have been a large statue, probably 5 feet long.  It is possible it might have been created during Hoysala or Vijayanagara period.

The hero-stone, seems like a relatively recent creation, is a rough-cut job. The man attired in a kachche-panche and jewellery seems to be a warrior; he is wielding a spear; also a sword dangling from his waist-band. The woman is attired in a saree and jewellery; her hair is tied into a bun; she's is holding an object which looks like a dumbbell. Is she also a warrior?

Quoting a line from an article in Hindu:
..many veeragals (hero stones) have been found in various places of Bangalore. Hero stones found in Lalbagh and Kengeri (10th Century), lake in Krishnarajapura (11th Century), near Railway Housing Colony (13th Century), and near the band-stand in Lalbagh Glass House (13th Century) clearly show that the area was well inhabited and well settled.

During my next visit to Lal Bagh, one task would be to locate the hero-stone near Bandstand.
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