HERO-STONES IN RAYALASEEMA - A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VAIDUMBA CHIEFS

The present paper deals with the hero-stones of Vaidumba chiefs in the Rayalaseema region. The hero-stones of South India datable to the third century CE are found in N?g?rjunak?nda in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, in which names of the warriors are mentioned and are carved elaborately. In Rayalaseema three hundred and forty six hero-stones are found. Of these eighty four belong to Vaidumba chiefs. In Kadapa District alone fifty seven are found. Twenty five hero-stones are in Chittoor District and the remaining two in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. More than five hero-stones with inscriptions, in characters of ninth-eleventh century CE in archaic Telugu are found, at Vand?di in Rayachoti Taluk of Kadapa district. Vaidumba chiefs were one of the important feudatory dynasties of the Western Ch?lukyas. They ruled from the eighth to fourteenth century CE Their original habitat was Vaidumbavr?lu in Chittoor District. When the Vaidumb?s became the masters of R?n?du-7000, the capital was shifted to Chippili in Madanapalli taluk of Chittoor District and then to Pottapi in Kadapa District.