Unknown Mythological Facts About Ravan

The Ramayana without Ravana is as equal as Ramayana without Rama. Ravana being the king of Lanka was mot an ordinary king but a great devotee of Lord Shiva, a scholar, thinker, philosopher, and a maestro of the Veena. It is said that only Ravana from the mortal world could challenge and threaten Devas or the demigods who certainly feared him. This was because the gods knew he possessed the knowledge of the six shastras and the four Vedas. In the Ramayana, he schemes to forcefully kidnap Sita, the divine consort of Lord Rama in order to take avenge the humiliation of his sister Shurpanakha at the hands of Rama and his brother Lakshmana who cut off her nose. In the Yuddha Kanda of Ramayana, Sage Valmiki describes how both sides (Rama’s and Ravana’s) engage in the ghastliest battle resulting in the latter’s death and the rescue of Sita.

Here are some unknown facts about the Lankan king Ravana.

Worship: Did you know Ravan is worshiped by the locals (Hindus) of Bisrakh? Bisrakh is a small village located 10 km off Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India. There it is believed that the village is Ravana’s birthplace. ‘Bisrakh’ comes from ‘Vishravas’ who was Ravana’s father. Interestingly while on Dussehra Rama’s victory over Ravana is celebrated with the latter’s effigies being burnt everywhere else, people in Bisrakh perform Yajna and mourn the death of Ravana, praying for his peace and moksha (liberation from the material world).

Birth Name: Ravana meaning ‘roaring’ is not his original name. Ravana’s birth name was Dashanana meaning ‘the one who screams’. Once, after defeating his elder brother Lord Kubera of North and taking away his PushpakaVimana, he flew over mountains except the Mount Kailasha guarded by Nandi, a personal servitor of Shiva. Learning from Nandi that the Vimana cannot fly over Kailasha because Shiva and Parvati have their pastimes, Dashanana tried to shake the mountain, petrifying Parvati. Aware of Dashanana’s childish attempt to shake and lift the mountain, Lord Shiva pressed the mountain down, trapping Dashanana beneath it. As a result, Dashanana cried receiving the title ‘Ravana’ (one who cries) from Lord Shiva.

Temples built by Ravana: It is usually perceived that Ravan was evil-minded. Contrary to this, the scriptures praise his knowledge in the Vedic scriptures specially the Sama Veda. He built many temples dedicated to his master, Lord Shiva. The temples built by him include Baijnath Temple a Shiva temple in Himachal Pradesh statMunneswaram temple which is known as Ravankhola, a Shiva temple with a massive shivlinga (believed to be installed by him) Kakinada Andhra Pradesh, and Seetha Amman Temple &Munneswaram temple in Sri Lanka.

Intelligent of all: Ravan was also known asBrahmarakshasa- having the sharp intellect of a Brahmin and physical strengths of a Rakshasa. It is also believed that he had PushpakaVimanas or airplanes and airport-like open spaces. Weragantota in Mahiyangana, Thotupola Kanda at Horton Plains, and Gurulupotha in Mahiyangana in Sri Lanka are said to be the places that Ravana is used for airports.

Universal Dominance: Ravana had mastered astronomy and astrology enabling him to control all the planets, subduing their rulers. He could move the oceans and shatter the tops of the mountains. All the demigods including Indra feared him.

Composer of Shiva Tandava Stotram: This is Ravan’s one of the biggest contributions to the world. Shiv Tandava Stotram by Ravana is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a hymn/eulogy (stotras) that Ravana instinctively composed glorifying the beauty, characters, benevolence, strength, and yogic feats of Lord Shiva. Containing 1008 verses in Sanskrit, it vividly describes the magnanimous attributes of Lord Shiva. Although possessing the finest things in the whole universe, Ravana in the final verse of this Stotram asks 

Lord Shiva, ‘O my Lord! When will I be happy?’