Introduction
Mandodari is the chief queen of Ravana, the daughter of the architect Mayasura and the apsara Hema. She is known for her counsel to Ravana and for her lament at his death.
This article primarily follows the Valmiki Ramayana. Where a well-known detail comes from a later retelling or tradition, the article identifies it.
Family
- Father: Mayasura
- Mother: Hema
- Husband: Ravana
- Sons: Meghanada, Akshayakumara
Parentage
According to the Uttara Kanda, Mandodari was the daughter of Maya, the Danava architect, and the apsara Hema. She and Ravana had sons including Meghanada.
Advice to Ravana
Mandodari repeatedly advised Ravana to return Sita. She warned him that Rama was no ordinary man and that the abduction would destroy him.
The lament
After Ravana's death, Mandodari came to the battlefield, and Valmiki gives her a long lament. In it she speaks of his greatness and of his own choices as the cause of his end.