However, Ravana did not listen to his advice. Vibhishana was a kind-hearted brother who advised Ravana to return Sita to Lord Ram and uphold Dharma. He was one of the most important characters in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was a noble character and a great follower of Lord Shri Ram. Vibhishana was the younger brother of Ravana. Kuber ruled over Lanka before Ravana overthrew him. He attained a boon from Lord Brahma to be the Guardian of Heavenly Wealth. Lord Kuber is regarded as the King of North Direction. Kuber and Ravana were born to the same father by different mothers. Kuber who is also known as Vaishravana was an older half brother of Ravana. Here, we provide you a brief but insightful account of his six brothers as well as two sisters. Now, let’s know about Ravana Family and start with Ravana’s Brothers and Sisters. Ravana and Kumbhakarna were born as enemies of Lord Vishnu in the Treta Yuga. They could be born seven times in the form of normal mortals and devotees of Lord Vishnu, or else they could be born three times in the form of powerful and strong people but as enemies of Lord Vishnu.īoth Jaya and Vijaya wanted to be back with the Lord. The Sanatha Kumara monks cursed them to be expelled from Vishnu Loka (Vaikunta) and be born on Earth. Jaya and Vijaya were cursed to be born on Earth for their insolence. It has been estimated that King Ravana ruled Lanka from 2554 to 2517 BC.Īs per the Bhagavata Purana, Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna were the reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya who were said to be the gatekeepers at Vaikunta Loka (the abode of Vishnu). He was one of the greatest rulers of the world. So, Ravana was successful in creating one of the most advanced civilizations in human history. He even authored “Ravana Samhita” which is an anthology of Hindu Astrology. There exist seven books on Ayurveda in his name. In fact, Ravana holds a high position as a physician. Moreover, Lanka saw great advancements in science and medicine under the rule of Ravana.įor example, the “Pushpaka Vimana” (Aeroplane) was a great scientific achievement during his regime. In fact, Lanka flourished under his rule as he carried on several campaigns conquering humans, celestials, and demons. However, Ravana turned out to be an effective and benevolent ruler. In fact, Lanka was created by the celestial architect Vishwakarma himself. Ravana had usurped Lanka from his step-brother Kuber. Lord Ram ultimately killed Ravana for kidnapping his wife, Sita. It is said that Ravana ruled Lanka for several hundred years. He even tried to bring Mount Kailash to Lanka. He sang praises of Lord Shiva in his famous creation – The Shiva Tandava Stotram. Ravana was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He was a maestro of Veena and even created the musical instrument known as “Ravanhattha.” It is said that he possessed ten heads that represented his knowledge of the six Shastra and the four Vedas. However, despite being a tyrant, Ravana was a great scholar and a very capable ruler. He kidnapped Lord Ram’s wife Sita to take revenge on Rama and Laxman who cut off the nose of his sister Surpanakha. Some Jain religious works reveal, Ravana had a necklace of nine big gems, which reflected his nine heads.For instance, the Valmiki’s Ramayana describes Ravana as a mighty tyrant who held the Gods at ransom. It was this Indrajaal, the black art of illusion, that created ten heads and twenty hands for Ravana. Or, Ravana who created the illusion of producing the severed head of Rama in front of Sita to deceive her. Take the example of the demon Maarich, who created an illusion of a golden deer, silver star spangled and all, and drew Rama away from his wife Sita. The rakshasas (demons), according to Ram Charit Manas, were masters of illusion. On the dashami, celebrated as Vijayadashami, he lost his tenth and last head. The Ramayana says, Ravana went to battle with Lord Rama on krishna paksha amavasya (New Moon) and during the battle, he used to lose one head every day. In reality, he was single-headed, but in acts of deception, he used to fool his enemies by creating an illusion of having ten heads. Experts who study Hindu shastras say, Ravana used to create the illusion of ten heads. It could be that his mental power was ten times that of a normal human being. Ravana was known for his ten heads and was therefore known as Dashanan. New Delhi: The demon king of Lanka Ravana is the central character in all versions of Ramayana.