Discovery of a Sangam period Warrior-stone inscription in Sathanur

An ancient stone inscription has been discovered at Sathanur, near Thandarampattu in Tiruvannamalai district. Scholars estimate that this inscription dates back to the fourth century BC.
Based on the information provided by Hariharan and Tamilselvan from Mallikapuram, S. Balamurugan, C. Palaniswami, Sridhar (Thandarambattu), and M. Raja (Chittingur) from the Tiruvannamalai District Historical Research Centre jointly examined this midstone inscription.

An inscription in 5 lines was found on a stone about one foot high and wide in an agricultural field near the site of the central stone complexes in Mallikapuram. This was copied and sent to epigraphist S. Rajagopal.
The inscription means, “A memorial stone has been erected to commemorate the heroic death of Vinnan, the son of Kannanthaikan, from Karungali Nallur, in the battle of Vetchi.”

Such Warrior-stones play an important role in the historical development of Tamil Nadu. Historians consider this Warrior-stone inscription to be one of the later Tamil script inscriptions discovered in Tamil till date.
History enthusiasts say:
“There are very few inscriptions from this period in Tamil history. This stone is an important source of information about the Tamil heroic tradition and ancient writing traditions. It is necessary to include it under government protection.”