Ravana - Wikipedia Ravana `` Ravan '' and `` Ravanan '' redirect here. For SRK, see Ravan ( disambiguation ). This article needs attention from an expert in Sri Lanka. Please add a reason or a talk parameter to this template to explain the issue with the article. WikiProject Sri Lanka may be able to help recruit an expert. ( August 2017 ) This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. ( January 2018 ) Ravana Statue of Ravana from 18th century CE Other names Ravanasura Dashamukha Dashanana ( Ten - headed ) Predecessor Kubera Successor Vibhishana Spouse Mandodari Dhanyamalini Children Indrajit Atikaya Akshayakumara Narantaka Devantaka Trishira Prahasta Parents Vishrava ( father ) Kaikesi ( mother ) Siblings Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana ( brothers ) Surpanakha ( sister ) Kubera ( half - brothers ) Ravana ( IAST : Rāvaṇa ; / ˈrɑːvənə / ; Tamil : இராவணன், Telugu : రావణ, Sanskrit : रावण, Malayalam : രാവണൻ ), Sinhala : මහා රාවණා ), is the primary antagonist in the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana where he is depicted as a Rakshasa, the Great king of Lanka. Ravana is the son of Visravas Muni and Kaikesi and grandson of Pulastya Muni. Ravana, a devotee of Siva, an Asura king of ancient Sri Lanka is depicted and described as a great scholar, a Brahmin, a capable ruler and a maestro of the veena ( plucked stringed instrument ). He is also described as extremely powerful king and has ten heads. His paramount ambition was to overpower and dominate the devas. His ten heads represent his knowledge of the six shastras and the four Vedas. In the Ramayana, Ravana abducted Rama 's wife Sita to exact vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the ears and nose of his sister Shurpanakha. Ravana is worshipped by Sinhalese, Tamils and Hindus in some parts of India, Sri Lanka and Bali ( in Indonesia. ) He is considered to be the most revered devotee of Shiva. Images of Ravana are seen associated with Siva at some places. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Iconography 3 Depiction in the Ramayana 4 Historicity 5 Temples related to Ravana 6 Alternate legends 6.1 Sri Lankan Version 6.2 Thai versions 6.3 Burmese version 6.4 Jain version 6.5 Buddhist texts 7 Notes and references Etymology Statue of Ravana at Koneswaram Temple, Sri Lanka. The word Rāvaṇa means roaring opposite of Vaiśravaṇa meaning `` hear distinctly '' ( passive ). Both Ravana and Vaiśravaṇa, who is popularly known as Kubera, are considered to be patronymics derived as sons of Vishrava. According to F.E. Pargiter, the word may originally have been a Sanskritisation of Iraivan, the Tamil name for a lord or king. Iconography Ravana was capable of ten separate skills. This is portrayed by depicting him as a ten - headed king in his statue and friezes. But Ravana is also depicted as having nine heads, as he has sacrificed a head to convince Shiva. However, in some stories in Java told every year, Ravana cuts one of his heads every year and presents it to Siva as representative of his devotion. Each head reflected his desire. By cutting it and presenting it, he was sacrificing one of his many desires to appease Siva. He kept doing it every year until the last one. It turned out that the last head was considered as the true head of Ravana and Shiva considered his devoutness is a worthy one and his sacrifices were accepted. He is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the Veena. Ravana is also depicted as the author of the Ravana Samhita, a book on Hindu astrology, and of the Arka Prakasham, a book on Siddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Siddha and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma. Depiction in the Ramayana Ravana fights Jatayu as he carries off the kidnapped Sita. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma. Ravana was born to a great sage, Vishrava ( or Vesamuni ) and his wife, the daitya princess Kaikesi. People of Bisrakh village in Uttar Pradesh claim that their village was named after Vishrava and that Ravana was born there. Ravana in Sanskrit drama of Kerala, India - Kutiyattam. Artist : Guru Nātyāchārya Māni Mādhava Chākyār Historicity According to Uttara Kaanda section of Ramayana, the Rakshasa ( also known as Raksha ) clan were the inhabitants of Lanka. The Raksha vanish from history after their mention in the Ramayana, except in Sri Lankan folk stories. Temples related to Ravana Thotsakan ( Ravana ) 's sculpture as a guardian of Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand There are some Shiva temples where Ravana is worshipped. Koneswaram temple, Dhen - Dakshina Kailasam is a classical - medieval Hindu temple complex in Trincomalee, a Hindu religious pilgrimage centre in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. These temples are associated with Ravana and his mother. They had worshiped Shiva at the shrine. Kanniya Hot water spring in Sri Lanka has the history from King Ravana era. It says that King Ravana stuck the earth with his sword in several spots for his mother 's funeral event and several fountains were started on those places. The water was hot and it is now a tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. The Sachora Brahmins of Gujarat claim descent from Ravana and sometimes have Ravan as their surname. There is also reference to the Ravani lineage of Upadhyaya Yasastrata II, who was of Gautama gotra and was a son of Acharya Vasudatta, and described as born of Ravani. Alternate legends Sri Lankan version Lankapura Alias Malendura was the capital city of the country during the period that King Ravana ruled this country. It was believed that this place was covered by three mountains. According to the inscriptions, the extent of this Kingdom was larger than the present Sri Lanka 's land area. However, in terms of some legends, it was stated that part of present Sri Lanka was ruled by this kingdom. The Battle at Lanka, Ramayana by Sahibdin. It depicts monkey army of the protagonist Rama ( top left, blue figure ) fighting Ravana -- the asura - king of Lanka -- to save Rama 's kidnapped wife Sita. The painting depicts multiple events in the battle against the three - headed asura general Trishira, in bottom left. Trishira is beheaded by Hanuman, monkey - companion of Rama. Thai versions In the Thai text Ramakien, an epic influenced by the Ramayana, Ravana is a yaksa or a rakshasa.. In the same text sometimes Ravana is also considered an asura. The Thai names for Ravana, among others, are Rapanasur ( `` the Asura Ravana '', Sanskrit : Ravanasura ), Totsapak ( `` one with ten faces '', Sanskrit : Dashamukha ) or, more popularly, Totsakan ( `` one with ten necks '', Sanskrit : Dashakantha ). Burmese version Yawana or Datha - giri, in the Burmese unofficial national epic Yama Zatdaw. Jain version Further information : Salakapurusa Jain accounts vary from the traditional Hindu accounts of Ramayana. The incidents are placed at the time of the 20th Tirthankara, Munisuvrata. According to the Jain version, both Rama and Ravana were devout Jains. Ravana was a Vidyadhara King having magical powers. Also, as per the Jain accounts, Ravana was killed by Lakshmana and not Rama. Buddhist texts Ravana, as a practitioner of Buddhism, is a major character in Buddhist texts such as the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra and the Gathering of Intentions, a text of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Notes and references Notes Jump up ^ Identified by many with modern - day Sri Lanka Citations Jump up ^ `` Ravana ''. Random House Webster 's Unabridged Dictionary. Jump up ^ Mani, Vettam ( 1975 ). Puranic Encyclopaedia : A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. p. 354. ISBN 0 - 8426 - 0822 - 2. Jump up ^ Merriam - Webster 's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam - Webster. 1999. p. 909. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87779 - 044 - 0. Jump up ^ Rao, Desiraju Hanumanta. `` Valmiki Ramayana -- Aranya Kanda -- Sarga 18, Verse : 3 - 18 - 22 ''. www.valmikiramayan.net. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Only the elderly come to mourn Ravana in ' birthplace ' Bisrakh ''. The Indian Express. 2014 - 10 - 04. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Ravana in Noida : A book on Greater Noida ''. hindustantimes.com. 2014 - 03 - 15. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Bisrakh seeks funds for Ravan temple -- Times of India ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 14. Jump up ^ Aiyangar Narayan ( 1909 ) `` Essays On Indo - Aryan Mythology - Vol. '', p. 413 Jump up ^ MW Sanskrit Digital Dictionary p. 1026 Jump up ^ Roy, Janmajit ( 2002 - 01 - 01 ). Theory of Avatāra and Divinity of Chaitanya. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 9788126901692. Jump up ^ `` Early Tamils of Ilangai ''. Scribd. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 05. Jump up ^ Ramayana By Valmiki ; Ramcharitmas by Tulsidasa ( Lanka Kanda Vibhishana & Rama Samvaad ) Jump up ^ `` ? ''. IBN Live. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Jump up ^ Māni Mādhava Chākyār ( 1996 ). Nātyakalpadrumam. Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. p. 6 Jump up ^ H. Parker ( 1909 ). Ancient Ceylon. New Dehli : Asian Educational Services. 7. Jump up ^ Ravana has his temples, too. The Sunday Tribune -- Spectrum. 21 October 2007. Jump up ^ Vachaspati. S, Ravana Brahma ( in English ), 2005, Rudrakavi Sahitya Peetham, Gandhi Nagar, Tenali, India. Jump up ^ Kamalesh Kumar Dave, Dashanan ( in Hindi ), 2008, Akshaya Jyotish Anusandan Kendra, Quila Road, Jodhpur, India. Jump up ^ People of India : A -- G., Volume 4. Oxford Univ. Press. p. 3061. Jump up ^ Indian Culture : Journal of the Indian Research Institute, Volume 15 By I.B. Corporation Jump up ^ Vyas, Lallan Prasad. Prachi Darshan. p. 98. Jump up ^ Sharma, S.R. ( 1940 ), Jainism and Karnataka Culture, Dharwar : Karnatak Historical Research Society, p. 76 Jump up ^ Dalal, Roshen ( 2010 ), Hinduism : An Alphabetical Guide, India : Penguin Books, p. 338, ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 341421 - 6 Jump up ^ Ramanujan, A.K. ( 1991 ). `` Three hundred Rāmāyaṇas : Five examples and Three thoughts on Translation ''. In Paula Richman. Many Rāmāyaṇas : The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia. University of California Press. p. 35. ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 07589 - 4. Jump up ^ Jacob P. Dalton ( 2016 ). The Gathering of Intentions : A History of a Tibetan Tantra. Columbia University Press. pp. 20 -- 21. ISBN 978 - 0 - 231 - 54117 - 6. Bibliography Doniger, Wendy ( 1993 ), Purana Perennis : Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts, SUNY Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7914 - 1381 - 4 Udayakumar, S.P. ( 2005 ). `` Presenting the Past : Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India ''. Greenwood Publishing Group Wikiquote has quotations related to : Ravana Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Ravana ( category ) Preceded by Kubera Emperor of Lanka Succeeded by Vibhisana Ramayana by Valmiki Ikshvaku dynasty Dasharatha Kausalya Sumitra Kaikeyi Shanta Rama Bharata Lakshmana Shatrughna Sita Urmila Mandavi Shrutakirti Lava Kusha ( genealogy ) Vanara Hanuman Sugriva Vali Tara Rumā Angada Nala Nila Kesari Anjana Makardhwaja Rakshasa Ravana Vibhishana Kumbhakarna Indrajit Akshayakumara Atikaya Kabandha Khara Dushan Mandodari Maricha Mayasura Narantaka - Devantaka Prahasta Sarama Subahu Sulochana Sumali Surpanakha Tataka Trijata Trishira Viradha Sages Agastya Ahalya Arundhati Bharadwaja Kambhoja Parashurama Vasistha Vishvamitra Rishyasringa Other characters and concepts Lakshmana rekha Jambavan Janaka Kushadhwaja Jatayu Manthara Ashwapati Maya Sita Sampati Shabari Shravan Vedavati Places Ayodhya Mithila Dandakaranya Kishkindha Lanka Seven Books ( Kandas ) Bala Ayodhya Aranya Kishkindha Sundara Yuddha Uttara Versions, adaptations, and inspired works Adbhuta Ramayana Adhyathmaramayanam Adhyatma Ramayana Ananda Ramayana Bhaṭṭikāvya Hikayat Seri Rama Kakawin Ramayana Kamba Ramayanam Krittivasi Ramayan Maharadia Lawana Phra Lak Phra Ram Ramlila Ramayan ( TV series ) Raghunatha Ramayana Ramakien Ramcharitmanas Reamker Saptakanda Ramayana Sri Ramayana Darshanam Vilanka Ramayana Yama Zatdaw Hinduism portal Indian religions portal India portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ravana&oldid=836707509 '' Categories : Rakshasa in the Ramayana Salakapurusa Hidden categories : Articles needing expert attention with no reason or talk parameter Articles needing expert attention from August 2017 All articles needing expert attention Sri Lanka articles needing expert attention Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from January 2018 All articles needing copy edit Use Indian English from July 2013 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Use dmy dates from July 2013 Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016 Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2016 Articles needing more detailed references Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018 Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from July 2016 Articles with inconsistent citation formats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote বাংলা བོད ་ ཡིག Deutsch Español فارسی Français ગુજરાતી गोंयची कोंकणी / Gõychi Konknni हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ Lietuvių मैथिली മലയാളം मराठी မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский संस्कृतम् Scots සිංහල Simple English Basa Sunda Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Українська اردو 中文 34 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 April 2018, at 11 : 42. 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Question: the protagonist in ramayana whose wife is abducted by the demonking of lanka ravana
Answer: Rama