‘Hero stone’ found in old trade path on Western Ghats IDUKKI, Updated: IDUKKI, Updated: The stone, depicting an armed man on an elephant, discovered at Chathurangapara Share Article The stone, depicting an armed man on an elephant, discovered at Chathurangapara A one-foot-tall ‘hero stone’ depicting a man atop an elephant, was recently discovered at Chathurangapara near Nedumkandam on the Western Ghats. The area is rich in archaeological findings. Earlier, a large burial urn was unearthed from Hydermettu, near Nedumkandam, and a number of menhirs were found on a hill slope at Santhanpara, 30 km from Nedumkandam. According to the members of the Archaeological and Historical Conservation Forum in Nedumkandam who discovered the stone, it is for the first time in south India that a clear image of a hero atop an elephant has been found. ‘Hero stones’ mark the valiant death of a person in a battle.