Sages & Others
Ravana
रावण
The Ten-Headed King of Lanka
Who was Ravana?
Ravana (रावण): The Ten-Headed King of Lanka, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. The ten-headed lord of Lanka, born to the sage Visrava by the rakshasa woman Pushpotkata and half-brother to Kuvera, whose city and flying car he took.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | रावण |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Ten-Headed King of Lanka |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | proud, austere, ruthless, doomed |
| Notable relationships | Son: Visrava, Brother: Kumbhakarna, Brother: Vibhishana, Enemy: Rama |
| Featured in | 8 stories |
About Ravana
The ten-headed lord of Lanka, born to the sage Visrava by the rakshasa woman Pushpotkata and half-brother to Kuvera, whose city and flying car he took. He stood a thousand years on one leg and cut off his own heads into the sacred fire until Brahma granted him safety from gods, gandharvas, yakshas, nagas and every other creature, thinking men too small to name in the list. He overpowered the vulture Jatayu and carried Sita out of the forest by deceit, and Nalakuvera's old curse alone kept him from touching her until Rama came.
In Their Words
Let no god, gandharva, yaksha or naga be able to kill me. What is a man?
Ravana
Traits
- proud
- austere
- ruthless
- doomed
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Ravana
5 further tales on this site name Ravana, in canonical reading order.
- The Arrow From Behind the TreeA wife who read the omens, and a king who would not listen
- The Bird With the Burnt WingsA search that ended at a cliff, and the brother of Jatayu
- The Testimony of the ElementsWhat Rama said when she was brought back to him
- Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's back
- The Banners and the BowsSanjaya names every standard on the field
Character Arc
- The Boon He ChoseA thousand years of penance spent on the wrong enemy
- The Theft in the ForestJatayu broken, and Sita carried into the sky
- The Sleeper WokenKumbhakarna roused when the war turned against him
Key Relationships
- SonVisrava
- BrotherKumbhakarna
- BrotherVibhishana
- EnemyRama
Places in Ravana's Story
Drawn from the stories Ravana appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.