Herostone or Veergals of Borivali

Hero stones are memorial stones commemorating the death of a warrior in a battle, They have been erected from 3rd century BC onwards till 18th century. Found all over India, the largest concentration of such memorials are found in Karnataka. Few such stones have been found in and around Mumbai also.

Hero stone are divided into different panels with upper most part would have a jar of nectar, first panel would show subject worshipping some deity, usually Shiva Linga, middle panel would have the warrior or a shrine being lifted towards the heaven and lower panel would depict the battle scene. Sometimes they also have some inscriptions.

Read somewhere that just like stone idol of Gods or Goddess is selected and made after a ritual, similarly it is said that when a warrior or a hero dies, the village locals along with priest would first identify the stone to be used for the memorial, worship it, cut the stone and carve it according to the requirement and then it would be installed with complete rituals at a particular spot ideally on the banks of water body or close to a temple.

Hero stone of Eksar Village in Borivali: Mumbai's western suburb of Borivali is home to four hero stones or "Veergals" as they are called in Marathi language. These stones were found near the banks of a water body in Eksar village. These stones date back to 10th to 12th century and depict an Eksar war which probably would have happened in the nearby creeks.

These stones were initially five but one has gone missing over the years. The uniqueness of this stones is that it depicts naval battle of Shilahara dynasty navy which according to historians is a rare find. Most hero stones found till have shown land battles. These stones which are approx 8 feet in height are one of the most intricately carved and are made of black basalt rock. 

This important heritage of Mumbai are unique in size and scale and it also a proof that Shilahara dynasty had naval capabilities. The villagers of Eksar worship these stones as goddess Ekvira devi.Today the pond where it was found no longer exist but these have been protected in a small space allotted in the compound of high rise building which has built at the spot.

Location: Its in the compound of Aquaria Grande building near Eksar village. Ask the security of the building to guide.

Hero stone of Devipada at Borivali: Next to Sanjay Gandhi National park lies a settlement called Devipada. It a maze of never ending chawl's and narrow by lane's. It is documented as one of the older settlements in a ASI report published way back in 1906.

In Devipada area, there is a temple called Gaondevi temple. The deity of the temple is a "Hero stone" or "Veergal". That is the only deity in the temple. It is draped in sari like attire. Not much details is available about it except that the it has been worshipped by the locals from a very long time. The figures in lower panel have been damaged due to erosion but it seems to be a memorial of some land battle.

In a way it is good that it has been preserved in a temple but then since there is not much awareness about the stone stele, worshippers put vermilion and offer flowers on the stone which damages the structure. There is a need to create awareness about such heritage structures so it can be preserved in a better way for future generations.

Location: There are two ways to reach the place, one is to walk past the Raheja complex near SGNP and walk in narrow maze of lanes, ask for Gaondevi temple. Other easier way is to reach Magathane bus depot. There is a road just opposite the depot gate. Walk till the end and ask for Gaondevi temple.