Where Stones Speak : The Memorial Stones at Umbardi Shiva Temple

Located 100km west of Pune, the Shiva temple in Umbardi village has long been on my list to visit, primarily because of the extraordinary number of memorial stones that have been placed here. These include Hero stones, Sati stones, but also an excellent example of the far rarer Gadhegal, or “ass curse stone”.

There three temples in the Bouddhawadi area of Umbardi village; an ancient Shiva temple (marked as “Shankar Mahadev Temple” on Google maps), the Kalabhairi temple, and a modern Hanuman temple. On this occasion, my attention was solely focused on the Shiva temple, as there is much to see and record here.

The hemadpanti Shiva temple is in collapsed state, whose sanctum and the shikhara are (more or less) extant. It had a perimeter wall measuring 40m x 30m whose remains are found scattered around the temple. The foundation of the temple (19m x 19m) mostly intact. This temple was made using basalt and dry masonry technique, with a few isolated sculptures kept on the foundation platform, which include two Nandi images, a Ganesa sculpture and a broken Shivalinga.

At first glance the eye is immediately drawn to the sanctum roof (shikhara), and it’s seemingly precarious nature. What we appear to have here is the very bare bones of the sanctum roof, the skeleton of the original architecture with any exterior casing stones now removed. Quite how this temple came to be like this is hard to speculate, was the roof reinstated from a completely ruinous state, or have the outer stones here fallen off, been robbed, or attacked ? With the passing of time, possibly centuries, one can only speculate as to what happened here.

A short distance to the east is a carved Hanuman tablet, almost lying flat on the ground and somewhat obscured by vegetation and/or dappled sunlight (which made photographing it a challenge!).

Anyone who has followed me for some time will already know my slight obsession for ancient memorial stones in India. In previous years I have visited a number of sites in Maharashtra and documented them, you can see my other accounts by clicking the link HERE. This Shiva temple has the highest concentration of memorial stones I have seen to date, with some interesting variations, the temptation was too strong to resist 🙂

This site is home to a single (but rare) Gadhegal Stone, 42 Hero Stones and 10 Sati Stones. To do the site justice and to ensure they are adequately documented, I have numbered each stone on the following photographs that encompasses all the stones that can be seen here :

There is also a square pillar standing in isolation immediately north-east of the temple, which has a memorial on each of its four sides. These are numbers 49 (W-facing), 50 (N-facing), 51 (E-facing) and 52 (S-facing).

The following documents each of the numbered stones against their classification; Gadhegal, Hero or Sati. Please click on any of the images in this blog to view in higher resolution.

The Gadhegal Stone (Ass Curse Stone)

The Gadhegal represents a unique sculptural phenomenon primarily documented in Maharashtra and Goa, with a solitary instance reported in Gujarat. Its presence is closely associated with a specific historical period, ranging from the reign of the Shilahara dynasty to the Adilshahi, spanning the years 1012 CE to 1651 CE. These precise dates are derived from inscriptions found on the earliest and latest known dateable examples.

Characterized by large, flat, rectangular stone plaques or stelae, the gadhegals are typically embedded in the ground, standing upright, often with an inscription in the Devanagari script. The term “gadhegal” itself is derived from “gadhe,” meaning “donkey,” and “gal,” meaning “stone,” alluding to the lowermost panel’s sculptural depiction featuring a crouched human figure engaged in a peculiar act with a donkey. Another interpretation connects the name to a combination of “gadhe” (donkey) and “gaal” (swear word), resulting in the English equivalent “ass curse stone.”

While the general pattern involves a top panel with sun and moon symbols, a central panel with inscriptions or left blank, and a lower panel showcasing the distinctive scene, variations do exist. Not all gadhegals adhere to this format, in the example here we don’t appear to have an inscription at all, although there is space for one towards the bottom of the stone. If there was an inscription, it is now unreadable. The level of finishing ranges from crude to meticulously shaped examples, this one appears to be reasonably well crafted albeit quite weathered.

The iconography conveys specific messages. The top panel symbolically asserts the eternal validity of the grant or edict detailed below, as long as the sun and moon endure. The second panel typically contains inscriptions, often related to land grants. The third and lower panel presents a sculptural narrative, featuring a human figure and a donkey, suggesting consequences for violating the stipulated rules or borders. This panel is typically a low to medium relief sculpture depicting a human figure (either on its back or crouching on its belly) with an equid figure, with erect phallus, above it. The equid’s phallus is positioned in a manner suggestive of anal intercourse. In some cases the ears of the equid make its identification as a donkey obvious whereas in others it is not so clear.

The meaning behind the ass-curse depiction is subject to interpretation. One perspective connects it to an insult, associating the female figure with a symbolic representation of the mother (earth) and the donkey as the vahana of Sitaladevi, the goddess of pestilence and plague, representing barrenness. Another interpretation suggests a more direct and physically threatening deterrent to emphasize the severity of the punishment.

Despite the intriguing nature of gadhegals, there is a limited corpus of literature available on these stones. While some researchers are familiar with their existence, they are often casually referred to as “ass-curse stones.” Presently, many gadhegals are either overlooked or locally worshipped as alternative deities, albeit of lesser significance.

The Hero Stones (Veergal)

A Hero Stone (Veergal in Marathi, Veeragallu in Kannada or Naṭukal in Tamil) is essentially a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero, usually in battle.

Most of these stones were erected between the 3rd century BCE and the 18th century CE, and can be found all over India, although the higher concentration of them appears to occur in south India. It is thought that Karnataka alone has over 2,500 examples of these memorial stones with their origins dating back to the Iron Age.

A hero stone was usually divided into three panels, although this was no fixed rule and depending on the event four or five panels can also occur. The carvings appear on one side of the upright stone, in the case of the more typical and simplistic three panel layout, the narrative is as follows :

Upper Panel – The upper panel depicts the subject worshiping a deity, most commonly a Shiva linga (sometimes a Nandi), accompanied by an attendant or priest.

Middle Panel – Usually the middle panel depicts the hero flanked by nymphs (apsaras), sometimes being lifted up to the heavens. Occasionally the hero is seated in a palanquin.

Lower Panel – This panel usually depicts how the hero died, so battle scenes are often shown, but on occasions you do come across something a little different.

The nature of the hero’s death sometimes necessitates the need for an additional lower panel to add further clarity to the story of his demise. So a battle scene may be followed by a scene showing the hero lying dead next to cattle, indicating that he was protecting his herd. In the case of the hero stones at Umbardi, it would appear that here they all died in arm to arm combat, and the subtle variations in the narrative are absent.

Sculptural embellishments on these hero stones can also give us more detail. Some hero stones have extremely elaborate Kalashas (pot or vessel) above the top panel which gives us an indication of their status in society, perhaps a member of a respected family or in some cases even a warrior with royal connections.

Likewise the form of the hero stone itself can add further colour. Whilst the vast majority of these memorials consist of a single slab carved on just one side, you can also find pairs of panels carved on one side of the stone, possibly indicating the death of relatives. This extends further to examples where the memorial consists of a square column with panels carved on all four sides. Of course we will never know if this implies the deaths of related people, or whether all the warriors died during a single incident, as the vast majority of these stones have no accompanying inscription.

Sometimes the hero stones are accompanied by inscriptions narrating the act of the hero, the details of the battle and the warrior who fought the battle. In Maharashtra the existence of such inscriptions is extremely rare, and I have yet to find any examples at the sites I have thus far visited.

The stones themselves can be found in groups or in isolated settings, although often they are found near irrigation tanks or lakes outside a village. The scholarly tradition maintains that a hero stone was raised on the spot where the hero fell, where his remains were buried, or alternatively in his (or his relatives) native village. However, it is highly likely that many if not most of these stones have been displaced over the centuries as the landscape is reshaped (for farming, construction of new buildings or roads etc), and/or moved to protect them into museums or to local temples as we find here.

The Sati Stones

Sati stones, poignant memorials erected to honor the widows of men who met their demise in battle, bear witness to a solemn and ancient Indian custom known as Sati Sahagamana, or self-immolation. Rooted in both grief and tradition, this practice involved a widow either climbing onto her husband’s funeral pyre or igniting one shortly after his death. The belief held that such an act symbolized the closure of the marriage and bestowed merit upon the widow’s family, absolving them of sins. Considered the utmost demonstration of a wife’s devotion to her deceased husband, Sati was once a commonly practiced social tradition in certain rural parts of India.

In some respects Sati stones can be seen as an extension of hero stones, in that they memorialise the death of both the husband and wife on a single stelae. How the hero died (usually in battle) is often depicted in the third panel in much the same way as hero stones, and the lower-most bottom panel will sometimes show the horizontal dead hero with the wife seemingly joining the burning funeral pyre.

The term “Sati” is derived from the Sanskrit word “asti,” signifying purity or truth, encapsulating the revered status accorded to women who willingly embraced this ultimate sacrifice. These stones often depict the husband and wife, portraying the circumstances of the husband’s demise. Some depict vivid scenes, such as a fierce battle resulting in the hero’s death and the widow’s poignant act of devotion.

A recurring motif on these stones is the right arm sculpted as if emerging from the pillar, symbolizing the importance of the arm raised in blessing. Before immolation, the widow would bless the onlookers with her right hand, a gesture that continues to resonate in stone. Adorned with bangles, the raised hand is often bent at the elbow in an abhaya mudra, signifying fearlessness.

The representation of bangles holds significant symbolism, as they traditionally indicate the married status of Hindu women. In the ritual of widowhood transition, women are compelled to break their bangles; however, the sati stone’s depiction suggests an eternal connection between the sati and her spouse, even beyond death. Other elements, such as the sun and the moon, signify the immortality of the sati, ensuring her fame persists as long as these celestial bodies endure.

Interestingly, some Sati stones portray two right arms, possibly indicating that the deceased husband had two wives, both of whom chose self-immolation.

While Sati was initially a voluntary act, over time, it transformed into a coerced practice. Widows who resisted were pressured to comply due to societal expectations that rendered them burdensome if they had no surviving children for support. The peak of the Sati practice occurred between the 15th and 18th centuries when, tragically, up to 1000 widows were burned alive annually in India and Nepal, with records indicating similar practices in Russia, Fiji, and Vietnam.

The practice of sati was prohibited many times between 15th and 18th centuries. In 1582, Mughal Emperor Akbar outlawed sati, and in 1663, Aurangzeb tried to end it again. Even the Portuguese, French and British, who came to India during the European colonial period, tried to stop sati. In 1850, the British hardened their rules against the practice. Sir Charles Napier ordered to hang to death any Hindu priest who presided over a widow burning.

In 1987, in the village of Deorala in Rajasthan, an 18-year-old married woman named Roop Kanwar was forced to become sati when her husband died after eight months of marriage. She refused. Consequently, a group of men from the village forcefully drugged and immolated her. Police investigated the case and those men were arrested. In light of this incident, the government created the Prevention of Sati Act, making it illegal to force or encourage a woman to commit sati, and anyone doing so would be punished by death. And yet, some widows still choose to become sati – at least four such cases were recorded between 2000 and 2015.

A brief walk around the environs of the Shiva temple leads to some interesting discoveries. Around the houses and fields abutting the Siva temple a few dressed masonry plinths, grinding wheels and decorated stones with rectangular flower motif can be seen. This would seem to indicate an old settlement, with more significant remains to be found at a place known locally as Rahati, east of the present‐day village.

These ruins significantly include a dry masonry basalt wall extending for about 1km in north-south direction. The wall begins in the northern hill and ends in southern part near the hill of Kurdugad Fort. It has rectangular bastions like that of a fort wall, so the purpose of this fortification would appear to be the protection of the town/village on its eastern side.

Overlooking the Shiva temple and Umbadi village is the distinctive Kurdugad Fort. This was an important fort during the medieval period overlooking the pass known as Lingya Pass that connected Konkan to the areas in Pune district. Rock‐cut caves have been reported from the eastern portion of this fort overlooking Umbardi village dating to the Shilahara period (800‐1260 CE).

This link between Kurdugad Fort and the archaeological remains at Umbardi would seem to indicate the historical significance of this region, perhaps an important administrative/trading centre at Umbardi overlooked by its guardian fort at Kurdugad. Forts constructed for guarding the passes leading from Konkan to upland Maharashtra has been a common feature in this part of the Western Ghats, although Umbardi and the Kurdu Fort are scantily mentioned in historical documents.

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