A 600-year-old stone engraving, known as ‘Veer Shila’ (hero stone), has been deciphered in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, revealing important historical details about the Ganga dynasty’s reign in the region. The discovery was made by Raj Kumar Rate, a History lecturer at Khariar Autonomous College in Nuapada, during a field survey in 2022. He found the hero stone in Junagarh and two other memorial stones in Hirasagarpada.

Rate collaborated with renowned epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari from Paralakhemundi to decipher the inscriptions. The ‘Veer Shila,’ which measures five feet high and 1.5 feet wide, features a three-line inscription in proto-Odia, a precursor to the modern Odia script, indicating its connection to the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The inscription refers to a boy named Madana or Mardana, who played a significant role in suppressing a rebellion or agitation. This suggests his association with the Ganga ruler Bhanudeba, a key figure in the dynasty.

The iconography on the stone depicts a heroic figure wielding a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. Above the hero figure, a crescent moon and a female palm in the Abhayamudra (a gesture of protection and fearlessness) are engraved, symbolizing protection and valor. This imagery, along with the proto-Odia script, dates the ‘Veer Shila’ to sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries CE.

Adhikari, who has previously deciphered 45 inscriptions in Odisha, highlighted the historical significance of the find, noting that it adds to the growing collection of Ganga-era inscriptions in the Kalahandi region. This discovery further emphasizes the Ganga dynasty’s influence in Eastern Odisha, particularly in the Kalahandi Dandapata area. This important find sheds new light on the region’s medieval history and the heroism celebrated during the Eastern Ganga dynasty’s rule in Odisha.