Hyderabad: Two pairs of Nandi-topped memorial pillars and sati stones documented at Keesaragutta in Medchal-Malkajgiri district could date back to the 14th or 15th centuries and may mark burial sites associated with Shaivite warriors and their families, according to heritage researchers.The sculptures were documented near Shahikaman during a field visit by members of the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam.At one site, two memorial pillars stand on separate stone-slab platforms beside a veeragallu, or hero stone, identified by researchers as a sati memorial. The sculpture depicts a warrior facing north, holding a sword and shield, with two women standing behind him. One of them carries a kamandalu, or water pot.Sriramoju Haragopal, president of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, said the warrior’s topknot, or siga, his veerakase attire and the clothing and hairstyles of the women suggest the sculpture dates to the 14th-15th centuries.According to the researchers, the depiction commemorates a warrior who died in battle and two women, believed to be his wives, who followed him in self-sacrifice.One nearby pillar is topped with a structure resembling a temple vimana, while the other is crowned by a Nandi, indicating the group’s Shaivite affiliation.A second pair of Nandi-topped pillars found nearby appears to commemorate another Shaivite couple. Half-figures of a warrior and a sati are carved on one pillar, while a Banalinga stands between the two.Haragopal said such Nandi stones were traditionally associated among Shaivites with acharyas or prabhus, or religious teachers and rulers. Similar memorial stones have also been documented at Tripurantakam.The field visit was undertaken by Sriramoju Haragopal, Tribhuvana Vikramaditya, Nalla Madhusudan Reddy, Ramakrishna, Ramesh and Sai.
