Ravana (Sanskrit: meaning "of terrifying roar") is one of the principal demons in Hindu mythology who battled against the popular avatar, Rama. Ravana plays a prominent role in the famous Hindu epic, the Ramayana, where, as the king of Lanka, he is both the overlord of the army of Rakshasas (demons) and the abductor of Sita, the wife of Rama. Ravana's arrogance towards the gods, and improper behavior towards Sita, sets in motion a chain of events that culminates in an epic battle between Ravana and Rama, which is chronicled in the Ramayana. Today, Hindus still commemorate the events of the Ramayana in drama and lore, reviving the villainous activities of Ravana, and his seminal role in the popular Hindu myth.
However, Ravana was a tragic figure who engendered his own demise with his unfettered sexual desire and his imperious militarism. As could be expected, he continues to endure as the archetypal villain in the Hindu tradition, and is still identified as such by Hindus today.
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Mythology
Early Life
Ravana was born to the Brahmin sage known as Vishrava, and his wife Kaikesi, the Daitya princess. Kaikesi's father, Sumali, king of the Daityas, wished her to marry the most powerful being in the mortal world, so as to produce an exceptional heir. Sumali rejected the other kings of the world, since they were less powerful than him. Kaikesi searched among the sages, and finally chose Vishrava. Vishrava warned her that because she had approached him at an inappropriate time, their children would tend towards evil, but accepted her request for marriage nevertheless. As such, Ravana was partly Daitya, and partly Brahmin. The name that he was given at birth was Dashanana/Dasagriva, referring to the fact that he was born with ten heads.
While Ravana proved to be aggressive and arrogant in nature during his youth, he was also an exemplary scholar. Under Vishrava's tutelage, Ravana mastered the Vedas and the holy books and also the arts. Sumali, his grandfather, worked hard in secret to ensure that he retained the ethics of the Daityas. Ravana was also devoted to the Hindu god Brahma. Following his initial training, he performed an intense penance lasting several thousand years to Lord Brahma. Pleased with his austere penance, Brahma offered Ravana a boon. Ravana asked for immortality, a request which Brahma refused. Ravana then asked for absolute invulnerability and supremacy before the gods and heavenly spirits, as well as the demons, serpents, and wild beasts. Contemptuous of mortal beings, Ravana did not ask for protection from humans. Brahma granted him these boons, and also provided him with great strength by way of sorcery and knowledge of divine weapons.