Introduction
Ravana is the king of Lanka and the main antagonist of the Ramayana. He is a powerful ruler, a scholar and a devotee of Shiva, but his pride and desire lead him to abduct Sita, which brings about his defeat by Rama. He is one of the most memorable characters in Indian literature.
This article primarily follows the Valmiki Ramayana. Where a well-known detail comes from later retellings or traditions, the article says so.
Words to Know
Rakshasa: a class of powerful beings, often shown as hostile to sages and humans.
Lanka: Ravana's island kingdom.
Pushpaka: a flying chariot.
Boon: a gift or power granted by a god in return for devotion.
Dussehra: the festival that celebrates Rama's victory over Ravana.
Names
Ravana is also called Dashanan or Dashagriva ("ten-headed" or "ten-necked"), Dashakantha, Lankesh and Lankeshwara ("lord of Lanka"). His name is said to come from a word for "roar" or "cry", explained by a story below.
Family
Father: the sage Vishrava.
Mother: Kaikesi, a Rakshasa princess and the daughter of Sumali.
Maternal grandfather: Sumali, a Rakshasa chief.
Half-brother: Kubera, the god of wealth, who ruled Lanka before Ravana.
Brothers: Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.
Sister: Shurpanakha.
Wives: Mandodari, and Dhanyamalini.
Sons: Meghanada, also called Indrajit, and others, including Akshakumara and Atikaya.
Early Life and the Boon
Ravana was born to a sage father and a Rakshasa mother, so he was learned in the Vedas but also inclined to power. With his brothers, he performed a long and harsh penance to please the god Brahma. Ravana is said to have cut off his own heads one by one and offered them in the sacrificial fire, and they grew back each time.
Brahma granted Ravana a boon: he could not be killed by gods, demons or other powerful beings. Ravana did not ask for protection from humans. In the Yuddha Kanda he later admits that he had sought safety from gods, titans, celestial musicians, semi-divine beings, demons and serpents, but made no mention of men. This became the opening for Rama's victory.
His brother Kumbhakarna was placed under a curse of Brahma that made him sleep for long periods. In a popular retelling, the goddess Saraswati twisted his tongue so that he asked for sleep instead of the boon he had intended. Vibhishana, the youngest, asked only to remain righteous.
Rise to Power
Ravana took Lanka and the flying chariot Pushpaka from his half-brother Kubera. He conquered many kingdoms and defeated many gods, and his fame spread across the three worlds. His son Meghanada captured Indra, the king of the gods, and was given the name Indrajit.
Even so, Ravana suffered defeats. One story tells that when he tried to lift Mount Kailasa, the home of Shiva, Shiva pressed the mountain down with his toe and trapped Ravana's arms. Ravana cried out in pain, and this is the story behind his name. He is said to have then praised Shiva in song until he was freed. A famous hymn, the Shiva Tandava Stotram, is traditionally attributed to him, though it is not part of Valmiki's text.
In another story, the warrior Kartavirya Arjuna captured him, and the Vanara king Vali once held him under his arm.
The Curses
Several curses and warnings shaped Ravana's fate. In the Yuddha Kanda, Ravana himself recalls that he had been warned by Parvati, by Nandi (Shiva's attendant), by Rambha and by Punjikasthala. He also recalls the Ikshvaku king Anaranya, who foretold that a man of his line would kill him. In the Uttara Kanda account, Nandi's curse came at Kailasa, when Ravana mocked Nandi's monkey-like face and Nandi warned that monkeys would bring about the destruction of his kingdom.
In the story of Vedavati, a woman devoted to Vishnu, Ravana insulted her, and she took her own life after vowing to be the cause of his death. In the Yuddha Kanda, Ravana himself later says that Vedavati was reborn as Sita, the daughter of Janaka. In another episode, Ravana forced himself on the apsara Rambha, and Rambha's husband, Nalakubara, cursed him to die if he ever took a woman against her will. Valmiki refers to this curse as the reason why Ravana never forced Sita and kept demanding her consent.
Shurpanakha and the Plan
When Lakshmana cut off Shurpanakha's nose and ears in the forest, she went to Ravana in Lanka, and described Sita's beauty. She urged Ravana to take revenge on Rama by taking Sita. Ravana asked the Rakshasa Maricha for help. Maricha, who had already met Rama and feared him, warned Ravana against the plan, but Ravana threatened him, and Maricha agreed.
Maricha took the form of a golden deer to draw Rama away. Ravana then approached Sita disguised as an ascetic and carried her off to Lanka.
Sita in Lanka
In Lanka, Ravana kept Sita in the Ashoka Vatika. He offered her wealth and power, threatened her and set a deadline of a year. Sita rejected him every time. Valmiki shows that, because of Nalakubara's curse, Ravana never took her by force.
Many people advised Ravana to give Sita back. His wife Mandodari, the elder Rakshasa Malyavan and his brother Vibhishana all urged him to end the conflict. Ravana refused every time.
Vibhishana Leaves
When Vibhishana spoke against the abduction in Ravana's court, Ravana insulted him and struck him. Vibhishana left with four companions and joined Rama, who accepted him. Vibhishana later became king of Lanka.
The War
Hanuman's visit, when he burned part of Lanka, warned Ravana of Rama's power. When Rama's army built a bridge and reached Lanka, Ravana still refused to yield. The war was long. Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna, though he had advised against the abduction, fought loyally for his king and was killed by Rama. Indrajit was killed by Lakshmana.
After his son's death, Ravana went into battle himself. At one point he struck Lakshmana with a spear. Indra sent his own chariot with the charioteer Matali to help Rama. The sage Agastya taught Rama a hymn to the sun, the Aditya Hridayam. After a fierce duel, Rama killed Ravana with a divine arrow.
After His Death
Mandodari and the Rakshasa women mourned. Rama told Vibhishana that enmity ends with death and that he should perform Ravana's funeral rites with honour. Vibhishana did so, and Rama crowned him king.
Character
Ravana is shown as intelligent, educated, brave and skilled in music. He is also arrogant, lustful and cruel to those who oppose him. His pride in his own power blinds him to the advice of those who love him. In Valmiki's telling, he is a great figure ruined by his own flaws.
Some later retellings and regional traditions present Ravana in a more sympathetic way, as a scholar, a devout follower of Shiva or a wronged brother.
Legacy
Ravana's defeat is remembered every year during Dussehra, when large figures of him are burned in many parts of India. At the same time, some communities honour him as a learned devotee of Shiva, and he is respected in parts of India and Sri Lanka as a great king and scholar. The ten heads are often understood as symbols of both his knowledge and his ten faults, including pride and anger.