Laṅkā
Rāvaṇa
Ten-headed king of Laṅkā, son of Viśravas. Vālmīki makes him learned, mighty and magnificent, and undone by desire.
Uttara KāṇḍaVālmīki (primary text)In the text
Rāvaṇa is the lord of Laṅkā and the great antagonist of the story: a conqueror who has beaten the gods and a king of dazzling presence. Vālmīki never makes him a fool. His ruin comes from Sītā, whom he cannot persuade and will not release, against the advice of Vibhīṣaṇa, Mārīca and Kumbhakarṇa.
Primary text: Śrīmad Vālmīkīya Rāmāyaṇa, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Later traditions and living-tradition associations are labelled as such. Return to the Rāmāyaṇa World.