Viragal

(“Hero-stone”) Stone erected in memory
of a warrior, often the village headman,
who perished in battle while defending
the village cattle from pillage. Such
stones can be found all over the Deccan
region, and Deleury speculates that the
origins of the Maharashtrian god
Vithoba lay in such a deified hero, who
was later assimilated into the pantheon
as a form of Vishnu.