Dharma Sandeham: Ravana was an Uttar Pradeshi Brahmin. So what was he doing ruling Lanka?

by Thanjai Nalankilli Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:10 pm

Ravana, it is well known, was a Kanyakubja brahmin, and Kanyakubja brahmins are a sect of Uttar Pradeshi brahmins. So what was Ravana doing in Lanka?

But Ravana has his own shrines. As Rama temples across India would shortly resonate with the chantings of Ram Lila during Dasehra, a hamlet in Madhya Pradesh would echo with the reverberations of Ravana Baba Namah at a small temple built to worship Ravana. Ravangram, as it is called, is in Nateran tehsil, and is some 40 km from Vidisha district headquarters. Some 5,000 to 6,000 villagers here are Kanyakubja Brahmins, a sub-sect in Brahmins, Ravana’s own. The nearly 10-ft idol of Ravana Baba is in a lying position and has some 8-10 masks on the face. The villagers had pooled funds and got a temple constructed at the site. Daily worship is done by offering a bhog of kheer and puri.

Another place where Ravana is the main deity is a temple at Kanpur where Ravana devotees would be praying for Ravana’s welfare. They are a sect in Lucknow which regards Ravana as an intellectual and stress that his positive side must be highlighted. Some hundreds of years ago, the local ruler Maharaja Shiv Shankar built this Ravana temple at Kanpur. The temple is opened only once a year during Dasehra for worshipping Ravana, while the rest of the country worships Lord Rama and celebrates his victory.

To take in some history, you can visit the mysterious Ravana caves and the ancient Ravana rock in modern Sri Lanka once ruled by king. In the famous Ella valley, known for the magnificent Ella waterfalls, begins a small track that takes you to a monastery and a small cave temple. This is the Ravana temple. It was constructed under King Walagamba 1,000 years ago and the temple is beautifully adorned with elephants, dragons and people carved into the rock in colours of bright red, orange and blue.

In a recent development, people, claiming themselves to be descendents of the in-laws of Ravana, are building a temple dedicated to the demon king in Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The town of Mandore, 320 km from Jodhpur, has had an association with Ravana. His wife Mandodari is said to be from Mandore, the ancient capital of Jodhpur state. It means Ravana is the son-in-law of Mandore in India. A marble statue as the central deity—-showing Ravana as a worshipper of Shiva—-is being made in Jaipur. "But we are still discussing whether the statue should have one head or 10 heads," said Kamlesh Dave, head of the Maulog Brahmins of Mandore, numbering about 700. The Dave family has also been performing Ravana’s shradh (annual death anniversary) for hundreds of years.

For now the family worships Ravana’s picture placed in the local Shiva temple. "We apply tika on his forehead every morning and read out Shiv mahima stotra, written by Ravana in praise of Shiva," said one of the priests. "We also worship Kharanana, the goddess worshipped by Ravana", he added.