page_title: Paliya
section_title: Types of memorial stones
hierarchical_section_title: Paliya / Types of memorial stones
caption_attribution_description: ગુજરાતી: કુંભલગઢમાં સ્મારક પથ્થર English: Memorial stone at Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan
context_page_description: The Paliya or Khambhi is a type of a memorial found in western India especially Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat state of India. They are also found in Sindh region of Pakistan. They mostly commemorates the death of a person. These stone monuments have symbols and inscriptions. There are several types of memorials including dedicated to warriors, sailors, sati, animals and associated with folklore. They are important in ethnography and epigraphy.
  Those dedicated to warriors fall under the term hero stone, of which examples are found all over India.
context_section_description: Traditionally, they are classified as paliya (flat stone memorials), khambhi (column without carving erected as memorial to deceased), thesa (small crude stones near paliya), chagio (heap of stones), surapura (erected for warriors died saving others as fulfillment of life) and suradhana (erected for accidental deaths such as murder, suicide, accidents). Some of them are called Satimata or Vir or Jhujhar (headless hero).
  Warriors' memorials
  This type of memorials are the most common which are mostly associated hero worship thus with martial communities and tribes. They are found in large numbers in limited area and known as Rann Khambhi. They are erected near the battleground or at the place where the warrior died. Initially they were erected to honor the deeds such as saving tribe, women or cattle which later became tradition associated with battles.
  The memorials mostly depicts a warrior with weapons such as sword, mace, lance, bow and arrow and even guns in recent memorials. The warrior is mounted on variety of transport such as horses, camels, elephants and chariots. Sometimes they are infantry. Sometimes people carrying royal emblem or playing a war drum who died during war are depicted. Vir-jo-jod paliya marks the land which are granted to brave person for his act of bravery specifically found in Sindh. These lands are not cultivated and only used for cattle gazing.
  The examples are the memorials at Bhuchar Mori and the memorials of Hamirji Gohil and others near Somnath temple. There is a Vir-jo-jod paliya in Dongri village of Nagarparkar, Sindh.
  Sati memorials
  These memorials are associated with the royal families mostly. The females who died practicing Sati or Jauhar are commemorated with it. They are also associated with folklore and sometimes are worshiped as demigoddess.
  The memorials mostly depicts the right hand bent at 45 or 90 degrees in blessing gesture. Sometimes the memorials are depicted with hands and other symbols such as peacock and lotus. They are also depicted as the full figure of a woman giving blessings or in Namaskar position. The woman entering into the flames and having the body of his husband in her lap, the ritual of Sati practice, are depicted in some memorials.
  The example include the memorial of Surajkunwarba of Bhuchar Mori. They are found in Sindh region of Pakistan and Rajasthan state of India also.
  Sailors' memorials
  Gujarat has a long maritime history. The memorials of sailors commemorates people died during their voyage in sea. Their memorials are depicted with a contingent on ship sometimes.
  Folklore memorials
  Several memorials marks the people associated with folklore about religious devotees, love stories, sacrifices, friendship, suicides to protest. The example is a memorial of Veer Mangaro at Bhutvad near Bhanvad.
  Animal memorials
  The memorials depicting animals such as horses, dogs and camels were also erected. Gauchar paliya has figures of cow which were installed on communal pastures to mark boundaries between villages. Memorials depicting cows are also erected by Vanjara community.
  Kshetrapal stones
  Kshetrapal stones are dedicated to Kshetrapala or Khetarpal, the protector deity of lands. They are not memorials but has similar ethos. They are generally placed in or near farms or outskirt of villages. The ancestors are worshiped as Kshetrapal in some communities. They are believed to protect land and crops. The stones depicted snakes as symbol of protector or sometimes just eyes.
caption: Paliya depicting cow, Kumbhalgarh
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