India is a land that abounds with legends of
multitudes of
Gods,
Goddesses; apsaras, yakshas and kinnaras; fallen angels; asuras and
demons; and the various mythological stories associated with them.
According to Hinduism, there are about thirty crore plus Gods and
Goddesses; plus countless demigods and divine beings. The interesting
thing is that, while most of these Gods and Goddesses have shrines and
temples dedicated to their worship, one can also find places of worship
dedicated to some of the most negative characters in Hindu mythology,
including both asuras and human beings.
Most of these characters featuring in
Hindu
mythology never did much good throughout their lifetimes. However, they
attained the high status of moksha (liberation) due to the fact that they
were slain by the Gods themselves. Many times, Devis and Devatas took
avataras purely with the mission to kill them and thus, destroy that evil
affecting the entire universe.
From a higher spiritual perspective though, these negative characters and
extreme wrongdoers too manifested on earth only to fulfill their karmic
goals by taking birth on earth. It is part of their own mission to meet
their end at the hands of a God or Goddess, thus ultimately attaining the
Lotus Feet of the Lord.
In this post, we bring you a feature on some of the most prominent Hindu
temples in
India, dedicated to the worship of Asuras and other negative characters.
But first, let us know who and what Asuras really are.
Asuras
Indian and Persian texts most commonly describe Asuras as powerful
superhuman beings, with good and/or bad qualities, and who always compete
for power with the Devas. The good Asuras are called Adityas and are led
by Varuna, the Rain God. The malevolent ones are called the Danavas and
are led by Vritra. Other categories of Asuras include Daityas, Anavayas
and Rakshasas.
Interestingly, the earliest Vedic texts referred to Devas such as Agni
(the God of Fire) and
Indra
(the King of the Devas) as Asuras, as they were the Lords of their
respective domains. Many Asuras, then, helped to keep Rakshasas at bay.
Later Vedic texts made a clear distinction between the Devas and the
Asuras, defining the latter as "enemies of the Gods". Some post-Vedic
scriptures describe Asuras as the elder siblings of the Devas.
Several post-Vedic texts talk of some Asuras who were renowned for their
piety and devotion for Hindu Devatas, wisdom and knowledge of the Arts,
Hinduism and its scriptures. Yet others were known for their valour and
militancy, ethics and unwavering adherence to the Dharma. Asuras such as
Maya Danava actually wrote the Vastu Shastra and even designed Hindu
temples.
Generally speaking, Asuras are supernatural beings, either good or bad,
who usually rule the Patala Loka (the Netherworld). Just as love and hate;
and good and
evil
are two sides of a coin, the Asuras are as essential to maintaining the
balance of the universe.
Temples Dedicated to Asuras
Kamsa
Kamsa or Kansa was the tyrant ruler of the kingdom of Vrishni, the capital
of which was Mathura. Kamsa was the cousin of Devaki, the mother of Lord
Krishna. The
Puranas
describe him as a Rakshasa (demon). Since he lived in his royal quarters
of Bhoja, he was also referred to as Bhojapati.
Kamsa was born to Ugrasena, a powerful Yadava king and his wife, Queen
Padmavati. On the advice of his evil friends Banasura and Narakasura, he
decided to overthrow his father and then ascend the throne as the ruler of
Mathura. He married Asti and Prapti, the daughters of Jarasandha, King of
Magadha.
After an akashavani (celestial voice) prophesied that Devaki's eighth
child would kill him, he imprisoned her and her husband, Vasudeva. The
minute he heard that Devaki had given birth, he would go to their cell and
kill the newborn child. This kept happening each time. However, their
eighth child,
Krishna,
who was actually an avatara of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu himself, manifested
with the intention of killing Kamsa. His father, Vasudeva, secretly
transported the child to Gokul, where he was raised in the care of Nanda,
the chief of the cowherd clan.
Birth and Youth
Kamsa was actually not the biological son of Ugrasena. Once, a passing
Gandharva caught sight of Padmavati and, lusting after her, transformed
himself into an Ugrasena lookalike. Thinking that it was her husband, she
had a sexual encounter with him.
However, when she discovered that this was only
an impostor, Padmavati was filled with shame and rage. In order to appease
her, the Gandharva promised her that the soon-to-be-born child would have
great powers and would be half human and half Gandharva. But Padmavati;
still in a rage; cursed that the child would be born a Rakshasa and would
be slain by his own people. Frightened by her anger, the Gandharva fled
the scene. Incidentally, in his previous birth, Kamsa was born as a demon
called Kalanemi and was killed by Lord
Vishnu.
During childhood, Kamsa was trained in warfare by the Yadavas there. He
soon turned into a mighty warrior. When Jarasandha tried to invade
Mathura, the boy single-handedly fought and routed his entire army. This
impressed the former, who made Kamsa his son-in-law. With Jarasandha's
force behind him, Kamsa became even more powerful and vanquished even the
Devas such Indra, Varuna and Kubera in battle.
Kamsa then overthrew Ugrasena, without informing his subjects about it.
When the latter failed to show up for events, the residents of the kingdom
started suspecting that something was wrong. Kamsa then announced that he
had taken over as ruler of Mathura.
Yogamaya Warns Kamsa
Alarmed by the akashavani that the eighth child of Devaki would kill him,
he wanted to kill her. However, her husband Vasudeva managed to convince
Kamsa that he would reach all his children to him, as soon as they were
born. Accepting the condition, Kamsa decided to spare her life. He then
put both Devaki and Vasudeva in prison. While in prison, Devaki delivered
six children. The minute Kamsa came to know of a child's birth, he would
visit their cell and cruelly kill the child in cold blood.
Just before the birth of the seventh child, Lord Vishnu summoned Goddess
Yogamaya, an eight-armed deity, holding different kinds of weapons in her
hands. Vishnu asked her to transfer the embryo of Shesha Naga from Devaki
to Vasudeva's other wife, Rohini. Rohini lived in Gokulam. The child born
thus came to be named
Balarama,
Krishna's elder brother; as also an avatara of Vishnu.
Vishnu also asked Yogamaya to take birth in the womb of Yashoda. After
Krishna was bron to Devaki, Yogamaya, the Controller of Darkness, put
Kamsa's guards to sleep. Baby Krishna then willed the prison gates to
open, thus letting Vasudeva slip out into the heavily rainy, stormy night,
holding his newborn in a basket. He carefully crossed the river and
reached baby Krishna to Nanda and Yashoda's house in Gokul. On the orders
of Vishnu, he also brought Yashoda's newborn daughter back to their prison
cell.
The next morning, presuming that this was Devaki's eighth child, Kamsa
tried to kill her by throwing her to the ground. Yogamaya, however,
slipped from his grasp and, taking her cosmic form of Devi
Durga,
warned Kamsa that Devaki's eighth child was safe in Gokul and would indeed
come back to kill him.
Death
Wanting to kill Krishna, Kamsa sent a host of demons to kill him. However,
Krishna was already aware of his evil uncle's every move. He effortlessly
killed each one of the demons Kamsa sent to kill him. After he came of
age, Krishna visited Kamsa in Mathura and slew him. He then reinstated
Ugrasena as the ruler of Mathura.
Kamsa Temple
Though Kamsa only brought sadness and grief to his father, sister, her
husband and the subjects of his own kingdom, the fact remains that he met
his end at the hands of an
avatara
of Sri Maha Vishnu Himself. Due to this, he attained moksha instantly and
entered the gates of Heaven.
Accordingly, there is a temple of Kamsa in a place of Hardoi, which is
located at some distance from Lucknow, in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
Here, one can find a massive idol of the demon king. He is highly
venerated as a blessed soul who attained liberation at the Lotus Feet of
the Lord and is worshipped by his followers.
Putana
In Hindu mythology, Putana was a Rakshasi (demoness), who was killed by
Lord Krishna in his form as a child. As she breastfed Krishna, she is also
sometimes considered as his foster mother. She attained immediate mukti at
the Lord's hands, as she had performed the supreme act of vatsalya bhakti
(maternal devotion), by offering him her milk (though her actual intent
was to kill him with the poisoned milk). Thus, she is also associated with
the Matrikas and motherhood.
In some versions of the legend and books, she is portrayed as an evil hag,
who eventually surrendered herself to Krishna.
Putana
is also sometimes interpreted as an infantile disease or bird, embodying
danger to an infant or desire respectively. Other texts even go as far as
to portray her as a bad mother.
Etymology
The word "Putana" is a combination of "Put" (virtue) and "na" (devoid of).
So it implies the "one that is devoid of virtue". According to yet another
explanation, the word "Putana" is derived from "Puta" (purifying),
meaning, the "she who purifies". "Put" is also a form of hell in Hindu
mythology and is associated with parents and children. It is largely
believed that, by conducting the last rites of his parents, a son
liberates them from the tortures of "Put". Incidentally, Putana is also a
weapon of or the form of the Goddess of small pox, Sitala.
Legend
The legend of Putana is quite popular and is narrated in the Bhagavata
Purana, Harivamsa, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Vishnu Purana and Garga
Samhita.
Putana, also referred to as Poothani (the killer of infants) was sent by
baby Krishna's evil uncle, Kamsa, to kill him. Putana took the form of a
young, beautiful woman and arrived at the Brajbhoomi (Gokul), where the
baby was in the foster care of Nanda and Yashoda. So beautiful was she
that the gopas (cowherds) mistook her for an avatara of Goddess
Lakshmi
herself.
Impressed by her persona, Yashoda invited her to her abode and let her
take baby Krishna into her lap and breastfeed him. Putana had smeared her
breast with mandana, a poison to kill Krishna. However, Krishna squeezed
her breasts and, along with the milk, took the prana (life force) out of
her.
Putana
Vadh by Krishna
Painting
The demoness took her original form and, screaming in pain, begged for
release. She tried to free the baby from her, but was utterly
unsuccessful. She ran out of the town with Krishna still clutching onto
her. After a long struggle, she finally fell lifeless to the ground.
The people of Gokul cut up her body, burying her bones and feet, burning
her skin and flesh. As Putana had attained moksha at the hands of the
Lord, a fragrance arose from the flames as her body burned. She was then
cleansed of all her sins and attained the same heaven that
Yashoda
attained.
Some versions of the story relate that her milk itself was filled with
poison. Yet other versions say that she stole the child at night, when
everyone else was asleep.
Previous Birth
According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and the Garga Samhita, Putana was
a woman called Ratnamala in her previous birth. In that birth, she was the
daughter of the demon king, Mahabali. When she met Vamana, a previous
incarnation of Sri Maha Vishnu, she instantly felt a desire to have him as
her son and suckle him.
However, when
Vamana
tricked Mahabali and took everything he had; also pushing him down to
Patala (the Netherworld); Ratnamala changed her mind and decided to kill
him. Knowing her desires from her previous birth, Krishna let her suckle
him and also let her try and take his life, though in vain.
Vamana
- Fifth
Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Poster
Symbolism
- The legend of Putana has several connotations in Hinduism.
- It assures those devotees liberation, who treat God as their own son
- It also interprets Putana as an infantile disease which can easily
be cured by forcefully suckling the affected child
- The Vishnu Purana states that Putana worked in the night, thus
symbolizing the lack of illumination of knowledge and wisdom. Thus,
Putana stands for death and darkness.
- She is portrayed as being quivering and shaky, thus showing her own
instability
Textual Description
- The Bhagavata Purana describes Putana as yatudhani, meaning, "evil
spirit". The Rigveda stipulates that they are to be killed, their
bodies broken and their flesh eaten. This was indeed the way she was
also treated after her death.
- In the Mahabharata,
when she is mentioned along with the Matrikas (Mother Goddesses) and
the warrior-God Skanda, she is portrayed as a Protector Rakshasi, as
well as a Matrika and a Yogini.
- In Harivamsa, she is described as a Grahini, with a prayer to
protect children as the end.
- In the Agni Purana too, she receives mention as a Grahini and a
Yogini.
Groups of Putana
- The medical text, Balatantra includes Putana as a collective name of
the 16 sisters of demon king Ravana. They were permitted to eat the
flesh of infants.
- The Buddhist texts, Saddharmapundarika Sutra and Manasollasa list
several demons, including a group of Putanas.
- The Brahmanda Purana and Harita Samhita mention Putanas as a subset
of Matrikas and Grahinis, whose names include Kali and Dakini.
In Ayurveda
The Ayurvedic text Susrutha Samhita describes Putana as being black in
colour, with a gaping mouth, projecting fangs and disheveled hair. She is
further portrayed as being smelly, wearing filthy garments and residing
among ruins and in dilapidated buildings.
Ayurvedic Medicine prescribes offering crow dung, fish, a rice dish,
ground sesame and alcohol to Putana, while reciting hymns, asking her to
protect children. Kumaratantra, a branch of Ayurveda, mentions that this
vidhi aims to heal diseases which arise from infants' consumption of
poisoned milk of the Grahinis; Putana being one of them. According to this
system, all infantile diseases falling on the third day, the third month,
or the third year of a child's life are attributed to Putana. This holds
true, irrespective of the nature of disease and its symptoms.
Portrayal as a Bird
Putana is portrayed as a bird in images and sculpture in Mathura, Deogarh
and Mandor. Harivamsa describes her as the "Nurse of Kamsa", who comes to
a child as shakuni (a female bird) and is one of the many birdlike female
entities in Harivamsa. This birdlike form symbolizes the desire for
materialistic objectives.
In some texts, she is also described as a Vaki, a female crane. This
embodies crookedness and hypocrisy.
Putana Temple
In the present, one can find a temple dedicated to the worship of Putana
in Gokul, Uttar Pradesh. Though she had tried to kill Krishna with her
poison, the fact remains that she unknowingly fulfilled the highest duty
of motherhood. Her idol in the temple shows her lying on the bed, with
Krishna seen sitting on her chest, drinking milk.
Duryodhana
Duryodhana, literally meaning "very hard fight", was a major character in
the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. The eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred
sons of the blind King, Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari, he was the crown
prince of the Kuru Dynasty. He lived in the capital of the kingdom,
Hastinapura, along with his cousins, the Pandavas.
A negative and jealous character, Duryodhana was one of the main reasons
for the Great War of Kurukshetra. Karna was his closest friend, confidant
and advisor.
Birth and Childhood
Gandhari's pregnancy continued for an unusually long period of time. This
caused her to beat her womb in frustration, which in turn created a mass
of grey-coloured flesh tissue from her womb. She requested Sage Vyasa to
help her. He blessed her to have hundred sons. He also divided the ball of
flesh into one hundred and one equal pieces, put them in pots of ghee and
sealed them. After the end of the second year, he opened the first pot and
Duryodhana emerged from it.
Although loved by his family, Duryodhana and his brothers did not receive
as much respect as the Pandava princes, who were honest, upright and
always adherent to the
Dharma.
Duryodhana was mentored by his evil maternal uncle, Shakuni, who seemed to
fight the Pandavas, but secretly wanted the downfall of the entire Kuru
race.
Duryodhana developed a deep hatred for the Pandavas. Since Dhritarashtra
was blind, he had to renounce the throne, letting his younger brother
Pandu take over. Duryodhana believed that this was injustice, as he was
the actual heir to the throne, being the eldest of the Kauravas.
Training in Warfare
Duryodhana was extremely skilled with the mace and went on to specialize
in that field under Balarama, becoming his favourite pupil. However, he
could never equal Arjuna in archery and always felt inadequate because of
that.
Friendship with Karna
Further, he resented the fact that the Pandavas never lost the chance to
bully him and his friend, Karna, who was the foster son of a charioteer.
In actuality, Karna was the firstborn of Kunti, the mother of the
Pandavas.
Karna was always denied privileges, as he was not a kshatriya (warrior) by
birth. Duryodhana would come to his defense each time. He then made Karna
the king of Anga, so that he would receive the same respect as the
Pandavas. When Karna was killed in the War, the Kaurava prince mourned him
intensely and was utterly inconsolable.
Scheming to Kill the Pandavas
Duryodhana constantly schemed with Shakuni to try and kill the Pandavas.
He tried to poison Bhima's food and even plotted to burn the Pandavas by
inviting to live in a wax house at Varanavata. The Pandavas, though, were
warned by Vidura and managed to escape just in time.
Usurping the Kingdom
In order to avoid further tensions, Yudhishthira took over half the
kingdom and was made king of Khandavaprastha. Duryodhana became the crown
prince of Hastinapura. Finally, he took over the rule of his part of the
kingdom.
He however became upset when the Pandavas transformed the arid
Khandavaprastha into the breathtakingly beautiful Indraprastha, along with
the help of their friend, Krishna. Humiliated further by Draupadi's and
the Pandavas' taunts when he had a fall in Indraprastha, he vowed to
destroy them entirely.
The Infamous Game of Dice
Duryodhana, along with Shakuni, then plotted to defeat the Pandavas at a
game of dice. He knew that this game was Yudhishthira's only weakness.
Cheating in the game, he tempted the eldest Pandu prince to place his
money, kingdom, brothers and even his wife,
Draupadi,
in wager. The latter gradually lost everything, finally staking Draupadi,
the Pandavas' wife.
Duryodhana then asked his younger brother, Dusshasana to bring Draupadi
before the court and disrobe her in the presence of the entire Sabha. They
laughed at her, calling her a veshya (prostitute). Duryodhana asked her to
come sit on her lap, due to which Bhima swore that he would break his
thigh.
Fearing the consequences of all this adharma, Gandhari asked her husband
to reverse all of the Pandavas' losses and leave them alone. However,
Shakuni insisted that they should play one more game and if the Pandavas
lost in that one too, they must spend thirteen years in exile in the
forest. He also said that the last year must be spent in incognito. Sure
enough, the Pandavas lost again and went on exile.
The Kurukshetra War
At the end of the Pandavas' exile, Duryodhana refused to return
Yudhishthira's kingdom. All the elders, also Krishna, tried to convince
him to do the right thing. He, however, would not listen to their counsel.
Finally, war was inevitable.
Duryodhana got to keep the entire army of elders on his side, while the
Pandavas depended entirely on Krishna. The former also won the army of
Shalya, the Pandavas' maternal uncle. Krishna decided to be Arjuna's
charioteer.
The Great War of
Kurukshetra
took a heavy toll on both sides, with stalwarts falling everywhere. While
kshatriya dharma stipulated several rules to be followed, many of them
were flouted and adharma reigned supreme on the battlefield, with warriors
being killed in an unethical fashion.
Death
Duryodhana's hopes were finally dashed to the ground when Karna was felled
unjustly by Arjuna. On day 18, which was the final day of war, he lost
everyone and everything, including his horse. He left the battlefield and
decided hide in a lake.
When the Pandavas and Krishna found him there, Duryodhana told him that he
was willing to gift Hastinapura to them. Yudhishthira mocked him, saying
that Hastinapura was not his to gift it to anyone. He offered that
Duryodhana could pick any one of the Pandavas to fight and win, instead.
Angered and humiliated, the Kaurava prince chose to fight with Bhima.
After a brutal one-on-one fight, Bhima began to tire. Though he was the
one with more strength, the former had the advantage of far better
technique and training.
When Krishna noticed that Duryodhana was starting to gain the edge over
Bhima, he repeatedly clapped his own thigh with his hand, thus trying to
remind Bhima of the oath he had taken to split the Kaurava prince's thigh.
Understanding what Krishna meant, Bhima attacked him viciously with his
mace, on the thigh, thus mortally wounding Duryodhana. Bhima was well
aware that it was unfair to deliver that blow below the waist, during a
mace fight. However, this was the only way to destroy him.
Even during his last few minutes, Duryodhana taunted the Pandavas and
Krishna for felling him deceitfully and laughed at them, saying that this
was the only way they could ever have defeated him. He then commanded
Kripacharya, Kritavarma and Ashwatthama to take revenge on the Pandavas
for their dastardly act and appointed Ashwatthama as the supreme commander
of the Kaurava side.
In the cover of night, Ashwatthama entered the Pandavas' tent and,
thinking that he was killing them, ended up killing the Upapandavas, their
sons. He ran back to Duryodhana to give him the good news of their death,
but found him dead too. According to some other versions, Duryodhana
received the news and was happy to hear that the Pandavas had lost
everyone they ever cared about. Then he peacefully let go and breathed his
last. That symbolized the end of the Kurukshetra War.
Duryodhana Temple
Many Hindus believe that, though Duryodhana was a largely negative
character, he was not without his positives. Hence, there are some temples
dedicated to the worship of Duryodhana and some other Kauravas.
Poruvazhy Peruviruthy Malanada, popularly known as Peruviruthy Malanada or
Malanada, is the only Duryodhana temple in Kerala, South India. Unlike the
usual, there is no deity here and no "Sreekovil" or sanctum sanctorum.
Instead, there is an "Althara" or "Mandapam" (raised platform). The
devotees here submit themselves to a higher power, by means of meditation
and "sankalpam" to the "sankalpa moorthy", which is Duryodhana himself.
Legend
According to legend, Duryodhana was trying to find the Pandavas while they
were living incognito, after their exile. He reached a house on the
northwest of Malanada and asked them for drinking water. That was the
place that Oorali (the priest and ruler) of the area was staying.
An elderly woman handed him some toddy. Seeing her apparel and general
look, he realized that she was from the Kurava clan. Appreciating their
hospitality, he walked up to a hill, sat in one particular spot and prayed
to Lord
Shiva
for their peace and prosperity. He then gave away hundreds of acres of
agricultural land as freehold to the "Devasthanam". Even now, tax is
levied there in the name of "Duryodhanam".
Malakkuda Festival
The Malakkuda Festival is the annual festival of Malanada. Celebrated
during the second half of March, the arrival of the season is proclaimed
by "Kodiyettu" (hoisting the ceremonial flag by Oorali). Then the Oorali
undertakes a visit to the Gurukkalssery Bhagavathy Temple and invites the
Devi to Malanada. He then wears his priestly attire to attend and bless a
colourful event called the "Kettukazhcha".
This event attracts thousands of spectators and is a sight for the Gods.
It is then followed by various cultural programmes, which go on through
the night. A Kathakali show, based on the story "Nizhalkuthu", is a
customary part of this event.
Malanada Thookkam and Swarna Kodi (exhibition of the Golden Flag) are
other essential elements of the festival.
Pallippana
Legend has it that Lord Vishnu found out that he was afflicted with "Asura
Dosha". The people of the Velan community had the power to perform rituals
to get rid of the dosha. Vishnu searched high and low, but could not find
anyone from the Velan community. Finally, Shiva appeared as Velan, with
Parvathi
as Velathy and Ganapathy and Kartikeya as Bhoothaganangal. They performed
a Mahakarma, known as Pallippana, thus ridding Vishnu of his dosha.
This ritual is performed once in 12 years in Malanada. It is believed that
the ritual rids the place of evil and unwanted energies and makes the
people rich and prosperous.
Mahiravana
In the Krittivasi
Ramayana,
Mahiravana was the son of Sage Vishravas. He was a brother of the demon
King of Lanka, Ravana. He was the rakshasa who secretly carried away Rama
and his brother Lakshmana to Patala-loka (the Netherworld) and then
decided to sacrifice their lives in order to appease his chosen deity,
Goddess Mahamaya.
Legend
During the fight between
Rama
and Ravana, the latter's son, Indrajit, was killed in battle. Heartbroken,
Ravana called to his brother Mahiravana, who was also the ruler of Patal
Lok or the nether world, for help.
Sensing trouble, Sage Agastya warned Rama that they could be in for some
kind of trouble, especially during the night. Hanuman was put on guard and
was instructed not to let anyone into Rama and Lakshmana's room.
Mahiravana made several attempts to enter their room, but failed each
time. Finally, Mahiravana took the form of Vibhishana and requested
Hanuman to let him in. The latter, tricked by the impostor, let him in.
Mahiravana acted quickly and took the brothers away.
When Hanuman realized what happened, he was panicky and approached
Vibhishana for help and advice. The latter asked him to leave immediately
and rescue the brothers; and warned him of Mahiravana's plans to sacrifice
their lives.
Hanuman reached the door to Patala, where he had to fight a creature,
which was half Vanara (monkey) and half reptile. The creature turned out
to be his own son, Makaradhwaja. Hanuman was taken aback by the
information. He had always led the life of a Brahmachari (celibate) and
so, there was no possibility of him begetting a child.
Makaradhwaja then narrated the incident of his birth. After Hanuman had
set fire to Lanka with his tail, he sat by the ocean to cool off from the
heat. At that time, a huge drop of his sweat was swallowed by a crocodile.
The reptile was caught by the people of Patala-loka. When they cut her
open, they found Makaradhwaja in there.
Hanuman was overwhelmed at meeting his son and was impressed with his
valour and strength. After defeating his son, Hanuman entered Mahiravana's
chambers and easily defeated his army. The only way to kill Mahiravana
would be to blow out five different candles, located in five different
directions. This would have to be done at the same time. Assuming the form
of Panchamukhi Hanuman (his five-faced form), he blew out all the five
candles at the same time, thus killing Mahiravana.
Panchamukhi
Hanuman Killing Demons Mahiravana and Ahiravana to Rescue Rama
and Lakshmana
Painting
The battle however did not end there. On learning of her husband's demise,
Mahiravna's pregnat widow rushed out to kill Hanuman and in the melee
Hanuman ended up kicking her on her belly resulting in her child coming
out. The child - Mahiravana's son - was called Ahiravana, and he too
joined the battle. Since it was still covered in blood and mucous, Hanuman
threw some mud on the child, grasped him and threw hum onto the ground,
killing it instantly. He then brought back Rama and Lakshmana to the
safety of their own camp.
Ahiravana Temple
Chintaharan Hanuman Temple in Jhansi is a unique temple, where the demons
Ahiravana and Mahiravana are worshipped along with the main idol of
Hanuman. Devotees gather here to light lamps in this 300 year-old temple,
both to
Hanuman
and the demons. The Chintaharan Hanuman Temple has a tradition of lighting
lamps made of wet flour. It is believed that lighting these lamps on five
consecutive Tuesdays eliminates difficulties from devotees' lives.
In this temple, one can see a five-foot tall statue of Hanuman, crushing
the Tantric Goddess, along with Ahiravana and Mahiravana begging
forgiveness of her. He carried Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders. An
idol of Makaradhwaja can be seen on the right hand side as well.
Dashanana
Dashanana (literally meaning "the one with the ten faces"), more popularly
known as Ravana, was the demon king of Lanka and also the main antihero in
the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana. He was a great follower of Lord Shiva,
a capable ruler, a master of the 64 arts; especially the Veena; and also a
great scholar; adept in many subjects dealing with religion and
philosophy. A mighty Chakravarti (Emperor), his ten heads represent his
knowledge of the four Vedas and the six Shastras. One of the greatest ever
rulers, his main negative trait was that he resented the Devas and wished
to overthrow them, in order to gain the power to rule over the whole
world.
The word "Ravana" means "roaring". Some experts believe that the word may
have originally been a derivative of Iraivan, the Tamil term for Lord or
King. He is usually portrayed as having ten heads. Sometimes, he is also
shown with nine heads, as he is believed to have sacrificed one head to
his Ishtadevata (favourite deity), Shiva. He is also considered to be the
author of Ravana Samhita, a book on Hindu astrology, and Arka Prakasham, a
book on Siddha Medicine. A master of varying subjects including
spirituality, religion, arts, political science and much more, he was also
said to possess the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his
navel.
Birth
Ravana was born to Sage Vishravas and his wife, the daitya princess
Kaikeshi. The people of Bisrakh village in Uttar Pradesh claim that Ravana
was born there. But according to more reliable sources, he was born in
Lanka. His father's father was Sage Pulastya, one of the Ten Prajapatis
(the mind-born sons of Brahma).
Ravana was blessed with a boon that made him invincible to any creation of
Brahma. He could also shift shape at will. He usurped Lanka from his
half-brother Kubera and started to rule the country. Appointing
Shukracharya as his priest, he learnt the Arthashastra from him.
Family
Ravana had six brothers and two sisters, namely, Kubera (the God of
Wealth), Vibhishana (a staunch follower of Lord Rama), Kumbhakarna,
Kharana, Dushana, Mahiravana, Kumbhini and Shoorpanakha. Ravana was
married to Mandodari, the daughter of the celestial architect Maya. He
also had two other wives. He had a total of seven sons from these wives,
namely, Meghanaad (also known as Indrajit), Atikaya, Akshayakumara,
Narantaka, Devantaka, Trishira and Prahastha.
Ravana Pleases Shiva
Ravana was
vain about his strength, prowess and good looks. He once attempted to lift
Mount Kailas in order to impress Shiva. At that time, Shiva and Parvati
were seated on the peak, enjoying each other's company. Enraged at
Ravana's impudence, Shiva pressed his toe down on the ground. This
pressure resulted in the mountain coming down on Ravana, threatening to
crush him under it.
Realizing his folly, Ravana decided to appease his Lord. He immediately
tore open his chest with his own fingernails and, tying the nerve ends to
his toes; he made a Veena out of his own body and played on it, singing in
praise of Shiva. There is record of an ancient instrument, Ravanahatha,
that the demon king played on.
The sheer melody emanating from this music thrilled Shiva so much, that
for a moment, he lifted his toe off the ground. Ravana instantly crawled
out from under the mountain and then apologized for his inexcusable
behaviour.
Sita Swayamvara
Ravana always had an eye for
Sita,
the foster daughter of King Janaka, the King of Videha and his wife,
Sunaina. In her infancy, she was discovered placed in a little casket,
buried in the ground. Hence, she is considered to be Bhuma Devi's (Mother
Earth) daughter.
Ravana desired to make Sita his own, but could never succeed to do so.
During her Swayamvara ceremony, Janaka stipulated the condition that the
person who could lift Shiva's bow placed in the mandapa and then string
it, would be able to win his daughter's hand in marriage.
The ceremony was attended by kings and princes from all over India.
Everybody was enchanted by this young, lissome beauty and wanted to marry
her. All the participants tried to lift the bow, but could not move it
even an inch. Finally, Ravana entered the mandapa and, gloating about his
strength, declared that he would be able to lift it with his little
finger.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Ravana put in all his strength.
However, the bow refused to budge from his position. After failing
miserably, he exited the mandapa. The young Rama, who was in exile at the
time, easily lifted the bow in one effortless swoop and strung it with a
resonant twang.
Wedding
of Rama and Sita
Painting
Kidnapping Sita
Angered and humiliated, Ravana vowed to make Sita his own. Meanwhile, Rama
was residing in the Dandaka Forest along with and his brother,
Lakshmana. He first sent Shoorpanakha to entice Rama and Lakshmana. She
tried her level best, but was mocked at by the brothers and insulted by
them. In a rage, she tried to attack them. But Lakshmana intervened and
cut off her nose, forcing her to rush back to her brother for help.
Lakshman
Cuts
Shurpanakha's Nose in
Presence of Rama and Sita
Painting
Ravana then asked his uncle, Mareecha, to take the form of a golden deer
and entice Sita. When she saw the beauteous creature, she requested her
husband to bring it to her. Rama immediately followed it as it ran deep
into the forest. After some time, Sita and Lakshmana heard a cry from
Rama. Disturbed, Sita asked Lakshmana to go in search of Rama. Reluctant
to leave her alone, he drew a
Lakshmana
Rekha (line of protection) on the ground with his arrow, asking her not to
cross it.
Grabbing the opportunity he had been waiting for, Ravana, disguised as a
mendicant, came to the hermitage, begging for alms. He managed to lure
Sita out of the line and, lifting the entire ground that she was standing
on, carried her away on his Pushpakavimana.
On the way, Jatayu, the Divine Vulture, accosted him and tried to stop him
from kidnapping Sita. Though the former put up a valiant fight, the demon
king managed to cut both his wings, finally killing him. But before he
breathed his last, he told a distraught Rama about the incident. Bestowing
moksha upon the great bird, Rama vowed to kill Ravana and rescue his wife.
Jatayu
Vadham
Sita Horrified Seeing Ravana Cutting Jatayu's Wing
Poster
Death
With the help of Sugreeva, Hanuman and his Vanarasena (Army of Monkeys),
Rama managed to build a Setu (bridge) to Lanka. With the help of his army,
he attacked Lanka and, after a long battle, defeated and killed Ravana.
He then visited Ashokavana where Sita was held captive, freed her and
brought her back to Ayodhya, where they celebrated his Pattabhishekha
(coronation ceremony) with great pomp and show.
Previous Birth
According to the Bhagavata Purana, Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna were
incarnations of Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, Vishnu's
abode. The two once refused entry to the Sanathkumara monks, mocking them,
because they appeared as young children. For their insolence, the monks
cursed them to be born on earth.
Vishnu gave them two choices – they could be born seven times as normal
mortals and devotees of his; or be born three times as powerful, but as
his enemies. Jaya and Vijaya chose the latter option. Accordingly, they
were born as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha in their first birth in the
Satya Yuga. They were killed by Vishnu's avatara as Narasimha. In their
second birth in the Treta Yuga, they were reborn as Ravana and
Kumbhakarna, defeated by Rama. In the Dwapara Yuga, they were Dantavakra
and Shishupala and were slain by Krishna.
Ravana Temples
There are some Shiva temples, where Ravana is worshipped.
- The Kanyakubja Brahmins of Vidisha District of Madhya Pradesh
worship him as a symbol of prosperity and a savior. They perform daily
pooja to him, offering naivedya and distributing the prasad.
- The Ravana temple at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is opened once a year on
Dusshera Day. Devotees pray to him and offer pooja for his welfare.
- The Sachora Brahmins claim to be Ravana's descendants and sometimes
even have the surname "Ravan".
- Some Saraswat Brahmins from Mathura claim to be his descendants as
well.
- The Maudgil Brahmins in Jodhpur believe that Ravana was their
ancestor and have a temple dedicated to his worship.
- The Ravangram Ravana Temple in Madhya Pradesh houses a 10-foot idol
of the demon king in reclining position.
- The Gondi people of central India claim to be his descendants and
have temples dedicated to his worship. They consider Ravana to be the
tenth Dharmaguru of their tribe. Every year during Dusshera, they take
a procession in his memory.
- The Baijnath Temple was Shiva temple in Himachal Pradesh, also known
as Ravankhola.
- Kakinada is a Shiva temple in Andhra Pradesh, which is believed to
have been built by Ravana himself. Both the Shivalinga and Ravana are
worshipped here.
- In Sri Lanka, the Seetha Amman Temple and the Munneswaram Temple
also contain shrines for Ravana.
- The Koneswaram Temple of Sri Lanka is one of the most famous Ravana
temples in the world.
Karna
The tale of Karna, one of the central characters in the Mahabharata, is
very different from the above, due to the fact that Karna was never really
a negative character. Karna was a man of exceptional abilities; one who
was brave, mighty and extremely loyal to those who supported him in his
time of need. He was a tragic hero, who could have contributed much, but
unfortunately, ended up a victim of circumstances. Several instances in
his life occurred entirely out of his own control and he merely ended up
being a puppet in the hands of time and karma. He, however, suffered as he
supported Duryodhana and hence, abetted his crimes in a sense.
Birth
Karna was actually the eldest of the Pandava princes, as he was Kunti's
firstborn. Kunti had received a boon that she simply had to call upon a
God and he would immediately emerge and gift her with a child. At the
time, she was still unmarried. Curious to know if the boon would work, she
called upon Surya, the Sun God. To her dismay, he immediately appeared
before her and gave her Karna.
Fearful about what society would say about her, being an unwed mother, she
placed the child in a basket and let it float on the river. The infant was
finally discovered by charioteer Adhiratha. He was immediately drawn to
the child, who was born with a kavacha (armour) and kundala (earrings). He
and his wife Radha raised him as their own.
Youth
Karna schooled in Hastinapura, where he trained in the martial arts under
Drona, Kripa and Parashurama. He and Arjuna were always ace rivals. Though
he worked hard and made a name for himself, he was always put down, as he
was not a kshatriya by birth.
Friendship with Duryodhana
Karna always craved the respect and love he truly deserved, but never
received. Duryodhana was the first ever person to recognize and respect
him for the person and warrior that he was. He considered Karna equal to
Arjuna in all respects. The boys soon became close friends. In order to
help his friend enjoy the same status as the Pandavas did, Duryodhana made
him King of Anga and conducted an elaborate coronation ceremony for him.
The Pandavas' constant criticism of him made Karna hate them. He vowed
that he would always be by Duryodhana's side and would fight them till his
last breath. Even though he was well aware that his friend was being
highly unfair and adharmic towards the Pandavas, he continued to support
him and be loyal towards him.
Even during the game of dice, Karna did not stop at being a mere
spectator. He, in fact, went to the extent of mocking Draupadi, calling
her a whore. He also asked Dusshasana to strip her in front of the entire
sabha of dignitaries. In actuality, Karna loved Draupadi and had wanted to
marry her. Krishna, however, had interfered in the matter and told her not
to get together with Karna, as he was of lower varna (caste). Though he
regretted his actions, Karna continued to fight against the Pandavas.
Karna Discovers His Biological Mother
Parva 5 of the Mahabharata describes how Karna discovers that Kunti is his
biological mother, when she comes to meet him for the first time. While he
extolled Karna's virtues, Krishna, who approached him with a view to
preventing the impending war, revealed that he should actually have been
the eldest Pandava prince. Krishna also offered that, if he so wished, he
could join the Pandavas and could rightfully claim his place as their
king.
Karna declined the offer, saying that though Kunti gave birth to him, it
was Radha that raised him and gave him the love and the family feeling
that was so essential to all human beings. He also stated that he would
never ever leave Duryodhana, who had always stood by his side, no matter
what.
Death
Karna had yet another flaw in his character – he was over generous and
was willing to give freely in charity, particularly to Brahmins. Karna was
invincible as far as the kavacha and kundala stayed on his person. Knowing
this, Indra, the father of Arjuna, decided to trick him, thus making him
vulnerable to attack.
Indra disguised himself as a Brahmin and asked for Karna's armour and
earrings as dana (charity). Though the latter knew the consequences, he
immediately pulled out his knife and unflinchingly cut up his own body in
order to detach these from himself.
Karna had the Vajrayudha (Indra's weapon) with him and hoped to use it to
kill Arjuna during the war. The war took a heavy toll on both sides,
felling many greats. On the second last day of the war, Karna decided that
it was time to kill Arjuna. Duryodhana appointed him as his Senapati
(commander-in-chief) and requested Shalya to be the latter's charioteer
for the day.
As Karna approached Arjuna's chariot, his wheel unfortunately got stuck in
the ground. This forced him to step out of his chariot and fix the
problem. Just as he was trying to pry it off the rut, Krishna instructed
Arjuna to strike the fatal blow on Karna. Though it was adharmic to attack
the enemy when they were unarmed and unprepared, Arjuna did as he was
told. He knew there was no other way to defeat and kill the mighty
warrior. Thus, Karna breathed his last, dying a valiant death on the
battlefield.
Karnaprayag
One can find several temples and shrines dedicated to Karna. The most
major temple can be found in Karnaprayag, at the confluence of the Pinder
and Alakananda Rivers. It is believed that he meditated her to please his
father, the Sun God.
According to another legend, Krishna buried Karna here after his tragic
death. Goddess Dharma-Devi (the Goddess of Righteousness) herself had
protected him constantly. She, however, had to concede to fate and let
Arjuna kill
Karna in the cowardly way that he did. Before breathing his last, Krishna
bestowed Karna with a darshan of his Vishwaroopa and also promised him
that he would bury him in a virgin land, which would go on to become one
of the most sacred spots for Hindus all over the world.
Other Karna temples include the following:
- Sangameshwara Temple in Maharashtra
- Karneshwar Temple at Karnawat, Madhya Pradesh
- Karna and Suyodhana Temple at Sarnaul, Uttarakhand
- Karna Temple at Dewara, Uttarakhand
- Karna Temple at Hastinapura, Uttar Pradesh
- At Karnawat in Uttar Pradesh
- At Tulasiwadi, Gujarat
- Lord Mahunag Temple, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
- Manas Kamana Karna Temple, Bhagalpur, Bihar
- Karnadighi, West Bengal
- At Malanda, Kerala
How to Reach Karnaprayag
There are buses plying regularly from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag. This place
also has it own railway station. Jolly Grant in Dehradun is the nearest
airport.