A mysterious Hero of Many Names
Finding Ravaleshwara . Veeragals , ( Hero stones ) turn up regularly in rural areas where development has not been fast and furious . Passing through countrysides , if one keeps eyes open , one is sure to stumble upon memorial stones , lying by dried up tanks , near temples , in fields and wastelands , under trees or serving the village as a washing slab , a post to tie up cattle , as steps to a granery etc depending on size and thickness . Many a time they are also smeared with turmeric and vermillion in a show of respect . In oral tradition , folk lores are built around a heroic event that happened in the history of the village ; these then grow into sacred mythology . In time , the much celebrated Hero turns into a Village Guardian whose spirit protects the village . Finally he becomes a god , an Ishvara . Veeragals are generally rectangular slabs with figures carved in bas relief in narrative strips . Among the hundreds of sculpted stones found around the O