Kandyan Era

After the death of King Parakramabahu the vi, Kandyans asserted their independence from Kotte.Portuguese arrived in the early 16th centaury, signifying the arrival of the Europeans.

They established a trading settlement in Colombo. By the year 1600, they converted some of the Sinhala royalty to Catholicism, and had a major control over the southwest coastal region.

By then Senarath (1604-1635), had established the kingdom of Kandy. His relationship with the Portuguese deteriorated in 1617 & his son Rajasinghe II also opposed the Portuguese, forming an alliance with the Dutch.

The Dutch alliance also broke down & they captured the eastern ports of the Kandyans.

The Dutch captured the forts, Colombo, Galle & Negombo. By then they had most of the regions of Sri Lanka under their rule. But Kandy maintained their independents.

The first British conquest took place during 1795-1796. They drove the Dutch out of the country & seized all the major ports. The Kandians grip of their own empire were weakening. They managed to beat back the first resistance by the British in 1803.

But eventually the British captured the hill country in 1815. The last of the Sri Lankan Kings were captured & in 1816 he was sent to be imprisoned in Wellor, India.



Famous Kings of Kandyan Era

Sena Sammatha Vickramabahu
(A.C.1469-11511)
Karaliyade Bandara
(A.C.1552-1582)
Vimaladarma Sooriya I
(A.C.1591-1604)
Rahasinghe II
(A.C.1635-1687)
Vimaladarma SooriyaII
(A.C.1687-1707)
Parakram Narendra
Singhe
(A.C.1707-1739)
Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe
(A.C.1739-1749)
Rajadi Rajasinghe
(A.c.1782-1798)
Sri Virama Rajasinghe
(A.C.1798-1815)

Sri Lanka remained in a instable situation during the 14th & the 15th centauries. King Parakramabahu vi (1415-1467), the last Sinhalese King managed to reestablish rule over the island. His power base was in Kotte.

In the later stages of his rule, Gampola was challenged and he appointed a prince of Gampola royal house as its administrator.

After the death of Parakramabahu, the island again plunged in to divisive struggle. Jaffna declared itself an independent Tamil kingdom under Pararajasekaram. (1497-1579)

The Dutch came to Sri Lanka in 1505, during the times of King Parakramabahu IX. The King made a pact with the Dutch as they were a powerful army than of the King's. The King grant permission to Dutch to build a small fortress in Colombo. The Dutch began it's missionary service in Sri Lanka and many some of the citizens were converted in to Catholicism.



Famous Kings of Kotte Era

Parakkramabahu VI
(A.C.1411-1467)
Jayaweera Parakkramabahu
(A.C.1467-1469)
Buwanekabahu VI
(A.C.1469-1477)
Panditha Parakkramabahu
(A.C.1477-1484)
Weera Parakkramabahu
(A.C.1484-1509)
Dharma Parakkramabahu
(A.C.1509-1518)
Vijayabahu VI
(A.C.1518-1521)
Buwanekabahu VII
(A.c.1521-1551)
Don Juwan Dharmapala
(A.C.1551-1597)

Gampola Era

Gampola was made as the capital city of the Island by the King Buwanekabahu the fourth, who ruled for 4 years in mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu the fifth. He ruled the Island for 29 years. A separate city was build in Kotte during this time by a noble known as Alagakkonara.

Among the remnants of Gampola era, the most famous temples are Lankathilaka, Gadaladeniya and Ambekka Dewalaya. The ancient stone scripts (Shila Lekhana) of Lankathilaka temple helps to reveal a considerable amount of vital information regarding the Gampola era. The statue of Buddha of the temple indicates style of south Indian arts. The Ambekka Dewalaya possess a large collection of wood carvings, where no other temple in Sri Lanka owns such a collection.

Kurunagala - 1293 - 1341

Kurunagala - 1293 - 1341

Kurunagala was a royal capital starting from Buvenekabhahu II (1293-1302). This was about half of century which is now clarified by ruins. among these ruins there are parts of temple of tooth relic. One of the caves discovered by modern archeologists, the cave hermitage of Arankele, indicates that ancient times in Kurunegala, in addition to buddhist monks there has been forest dwelling (called Thapowana) hermitages called Brahmi. In the area the inscriptions of ancient brahmi donatives has been found. In the Ridigama Vihara, a temple near to the cave hermitage of Arankele, there had been a silver orc which belongs to the time of King Dutugemunu.

In the temple a reclining Buddha statue is seated, which belongs to the 18 century. The temple is attracted by a door frame with ivory carvings and alters tilled with Dutch tiles and an artificial lake under the shadow of the hill

Yapahuwa Era

Yapahuwa was considered as strategically important point since the Polonnaruwa era. Prince Buwanekabahu, the son of great Parakramabahu who ruled in Dabadeniya, was stationed at Yapahuwa to protect the kingdom against enemy attacks.

When the Dabadeniya kingdom fall after the King Wijayabahu the 4th, The throne was taken by Prince Buwanekabahu, who ruled the kingdom from Yapahuwa. The sacred tooth Relic was brought from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa and kept in the specially built palace. The ruins of this temple can be seen today and is considered one of the best archeologically valuable sites on the Island.

Polonnaruwa Era

Polonnaruwa Era

Polonnaruwa Era existed between AC 1065- 1120. The governing period of this time was about 186 years and 19 rulers had sat on the throne in that period. During the final period in the Anuradhapura era, the cholas shifted the political power to Polonnaruwa, which was situated in the eastern side of the dry zone. The main reason was security, as it was regarded as a strategic location to guard against an invasion from Ruhuna, the refuge of the Sinhalese liberation force.

Still the Cholas were unsuccessful in defending themselves against Vijayabahu�s offensive riot against Polonnaruwa. They Surrendered in 1070 and left the island.

Polonnaruwa had its own fabulous Buddhist architecture and irrigational network that had been built over the centauries by earlier sinhala rulers. (Ex- Minneria Tanks)
The First Sinhalese king to rule in this period was King Wijayabahu who ruled for 55 years after he defeated the cholas.(AC 1065-1120). He restoered Buddhism to its former glory and was also responsible for economic regeneration.

The Next famous King to take over from Vijayabahu is King Parakramabahu (AC 1164-1197) He unified the country under one rule and built a remarkable series of irrigation work including the massive Parakrama Samudraya.

Nissanka Malla was also a king to take notice of, because he also stabilized Sri Lanka during his period. But his death brought instability & a pirate named Magha, who came from south India conquered Polonnaruwa & executed many years of ruthless control over the island.



Famous Kings of Polonnaruwa Era

Agbo VII
(A.C.777-797)
Vijayabahu I
(A.C.1048-1054)
Vickramabahu I
(A.C.1110-1111)
Parakramabahu I
(A.C.1132-1153)
Vijayabahu II
(A.C.1153-1186)
Nissanka malla
(A.C.1187 -1187 6th day)
Veerabahu I
(A.C.1187-1196)
Vickramabahu II
(A.C.1196-1196 1 day)
Dharmashoka
(A.C.1208-1209)
Qeen Lilawathi
(A.C.1197-1200)
Kalinga Maga
(A.C.1215-1232)

Anuradhapura Era

Anuradhapura Kingdom was built by King Pandukabhya, son of Princess Unmada chithtra. The city was the first of it's kind with well designed sanitary system, Gardens, Irrigation and Water supply systems, Temples, cemeteries and burial grounds, etc. The city was then became the capital city of Sri Lanka and flourished under many subsequent Kings ruled for centuries.

Anuradhapura Kingdom was highly vulnerable to invasions from South India and suffered usurp of throne several times, by invading Kings from south India. Singhalese Kings have managed to defeat the invaders after reorganizing the troops, although the invading kings ruled in the mean time. One such historic battle held Between King Dutugamunu and South Indian King, Elara. In that, King Elara was defeated and King Dutugamunu ruled the country in single sovereignty.

The Anuradhapura Kingdom was under constant threat from south Indian kingdoms. The King Mahinda V ascended to throne in 982 A.C, and was the last Sinhalese king to rule the country from Glorious city. At this time the South Indian realm Chola, became very powerful under the Great Rajaraja (985- 1018 A.C) and conquered Sri Lanka. The King Mahinda was captured and imprisoned in South India.

The South Indians ruled the country for next 75 years. They shifted the Capital city to Polonnaruwa due to strategic reasons after considering the vulnerably for attacks from both native Sinhalese people and other south Indian Kingdoms.


Famous Kings of Anuradhapura Era

Pandukabaya
(B.C.437-367)
Devanampiyatissa
(B.C.307-267)
Ellara(B.C.205-161)
Dutugamunu
(B.C.161-137)
Walagamba(first time)
(B.C.103 3 months)
Walagamba
(B.C.89-77)
Mahasen
(A.C.273-301)
Dathusena
(A.c.455-473)
Mugalan(I)
(A.C.491-498)
Aggbo(I)
(A.C.571-604)
Kashayapa(II)
(A.C.650-659)

Sri Lanka Kings and Rulers

GREAT KING RAVANA 300 AD



Vijaya 543 BC Upathissa 505 BC
Panduwasdeva 504 BC Abhaya 474 BC
Pandukhabaya 437 BC Mutaseeva 367 BC
Devanam Piyathissa 307 BC Uththiya 267 BC

Mahasiva
257 BC Sooratissa 247 BC
Sena & Guthtika 237 BC Asela 215 BC
Elara 205 BC Dutugemunu 161 BC
Saddhatissa 137 BC Tullaththana 119 BC
Langitissa 119 BC Kallatanagha 109 BC

Walagambha (First Time)
103 BC Poolahaththa 103 BC
Bhabhiya 100 BC Panaya Mara 98 BC
Piliya Mara 91 BC Datiya 90 BC
Walagambha (Second Time) 89 BC Mahasilu Mahatissa 76 BC
Choranaga 62 BC Tissa-Kudatissa 50 BC
Queen Anula 47 BC Kutakanna Tissa 42 BC
Bathiya,Bathika Abeya Bathiya Tissa 20 BC Maha Daatiya Maha Nagha 09 AD
Amanda Gamini 21 AD Kanirajanu Tissa 30 AD
Choolabeya 33 AD Seevali Queen 35 AD
Ilanagha 35 AD Chandamukasiva 44 AD
Yasalalaka Tissa 52 AD Sobaraja 60 AD
Wasabha 66 AD Wankanasikatissa 110 AD
Gajaba 113 AD Bathiya Tissa II 141 AD
Kanittatissa 110 Ad Choolanaga 193 AD
Kunchanaga 195 AD Sirinaga 196 AD
Choharikatissa 215 Ad Abeyanagha 236 AD
Sirinagha II 244 AD Vijayakumara 246 AD
Sanghatissa 247 AD Sirisanghabodhi 251 AD

Gothabeya
253 AD Detutissa I 266 AD
Mahasen 276 AD Sirimevan 303 AD
Detutissa II 331 AD Buddhadasa 340 AD
Upatissa I 369 AD Mahanama 410 AD
Soththisena 432 AD Wattagrahaka 432 AD
Miththasena 433 AD Pandu 434 AD
Parindha Kudaparindha
Tirithara Dhatiya
Peetaya Dathusena 459 AD
Kasyapa 477 AD Mugalan 495 AD
Kumaradasa 512 AD Keerthisena 521 AD
Seeva 521 AD Upatissa II 521 AD
Silaakala 522 AD Dhatappabhuthi 535 AD
Mugalan II 535 AD Kithsiri Mevan 555 AD
Mahanaga 573 AD Agbho I 575 AD
Agbho II 608 AD Sangatissa 618 AD
Mugalan III 618 AD Aseegrahaka 623 AD
Agbho III (First Time) 632 AD Pettatissa III 632 AD
Agbho III (Second Time) 632 AD DathasivaI 648 AD
Kasyapa II 650 AD Dappoola I 659 AD

Hatthadasa
659 AD Agbho IV 667 AD
Dattha 683 AD Hatthadatha 684 AD
Manavamma 684 AD Agbho V 719 AD
Kasyapa III 725 AD Mahinda I 731 AD
Agbho VI 733 AD Agbho VII 772 AD
Mihidhu II 778 AD Dappoola II 797 AD
Mihidhu III 802 AD Agbho VIII 805 AD
Dappoola III 816 AD Agmho IX 831 AD

Sena I
833 AD Sena II 853 AD
Udaya II 887 AD Kasyapa IV 898 AD
Kasyapa V 915 AD Dappoola IV 924 AD
Dappoola V 924 AD Udaya II 935 AD
Sena III 938 AD Udaya III 946 AD
Sena IV 952 AD Mihidhu IV 955 AD
Sena V 972 AD Mihidhu V 982 AD
Vijayabahu I 1055 AD Jayabahu I 1110 AD
Vikramabahu 1110 AD Gajaba II 1131 AD
Maha Parakramabahu I 1153 AD Vijayabahu II 1186 AD
Mihindu IV 1187 AD Nissankamalla 1187 AD
Veerabahu 1196 AD Vikramabahu II 1196 AD
Chodaganga 1196 AD Queen Leelavathi 1197 AD
Sahasamalla 1200 AD Queen Kalyanavathi 1202 AD
Dharmashoka 1210 AD Anikanga 1210 AD
Lokeshvara 1211 AD Parakramapandu 1212 AD

Kalinga Maga
1215 AD Prakramabahu III 1287 AD
Vijayabahu III 1220 AD
Parakramabahu II 1234 AD
Vijayabahu IV 1267 AD
Buvanekabahu I (Yapahuva) 1270 AD
Prakramabahu III (P'naruva) 1287 AD Buvanekabahu II 1293 AD
Pandita Parakramabahu IV 1302 AD Buvanekabahu III
Vijayabahu V
Pandita Parakramabahu IV 1302 AD Buvanekabahu IV 1341 AD
Parakramabahu V 1344 AD Buvanekabahu III
Vikramabahu III 1357 AD Buvanekabahu V 1374 AD
Veerabahu II 1392 AD Veera Alakesavara 1397 AD
Parakramabahu V 1412 AD Jayabahu II 1467 AD
Bvanekabahu VI 1472 AD Parakrambahu VII 1480 AD
Veera Parakramabahu VIII 1484 AD Dharma Parakramabahu IX 1508 AD
Vijayabahu VII 1510 AD Buvanekabahu VII 1522 AD
Dharmapala 1551 AD Mayadunne (Sithavaka) 1521 AD
Rajasinhe I 1557 AD
Don Philip 1591 AD Vimala Dharmasooriya I 1591 AD
Senarath 1604 AD Rajasinhe II 1635 AD
Vimala Dharmasooriya II 1687 AD Narendrasinhe 1707 AD
Vijaya Rajasinhe 1739 AD Keerthi Sri Rajasinhe 1747 AD
Rajadi Rajasinhe 1782 AD Sri Vikrma Rajasinhe 1798 AD

Upathissa grama

Upathissa Grama - 505 BC - 504 (King Upatissa)

King Upatissa was the prime minister of the King Vijaya. The King Vijaya did not have any heir for the throne and sent for his younger Brother, prince Sumiththa in India.

By the time the delegates arrived in India the Prince Sumiththa had become the King, and instead he sent his younger son prince Paduwas Dev. Before prince Paduwas Dev reached Sri Lanka the King Vijaya passed away and King Upatissa ruled the kingdom for one year, until the rightful owner took the throne. The Upatissa Grama was the Capital of the kingdom.

Thammana Kingdom

Thammana Kingdom - 543 BC - 505 BC King Vijaya

Prince Vijaya is a son of King Vijeyabahu, who was a provincial King in ancient India. The Prince was expelled from the Kingdom along with 700 followers after the King couldn't put up with Prince's mischievous behavior.

The Vessels carrying the Price and his entourage harbored the Northwest cost of Sri Lanka. After defeating the local tribes with the help received from yaksha tribe princess "Kuweni" the prince establishes a Kingdom in Thammana, and ruled the country for 38 years. Kuweni was expelled by King lately and married to an Indian princess after his coronation.

It's Believed that Kuweni had two children named Deegahatta and Visala from Kiong Vijaya. They supposed to have gone to the Jungle after Kuweni was Killed by her relatives for betraying them.

The Veddhas believe that they are decedents of Deegahatta and Visala the Children of King Vijeya and Princess Kuweni.

According to the mahavansa, yakkhas confined to the center of the Island and Naga dominated the northern and western parts in sixth century B.C. Therefore North of the Island was called Nagadipa. Mr.Kanagasabai,author of "Tamils 1800 Years Ago', mentioned that Yakkhas were the acient 'Yuh chi' a yellow race that emigrated from central of Asia into India through the Himalayan and eventually spread over the whole of bengal and ultimately move to Ceylon.

The Fa hien, monk had told there were no human inhabitations, but was occupied by Nagas and spirits, with which the merchants of various countries carried on a trade. The spirits never showed themselves ,they simply set forth their precious commodities ,with indications of the price attached to them, while merchants made their purchases according to the price.

Nagas was so called because they were serpent-worshippers. Archaeologist conjectured that the name was derived from the fact that their head covering was in the shape of the hood of a hydra-headed cobra.

Aryan emigrated to Ceylon and spread their power across the country. Eventually Naga and Yakksha population was reduced because of Aryans.


Kings in Naga Tribe
Mahallaka Naga
(135 A.D)
Bhatika Tissa
(141 A.D)
Kanittha Tissa
(165 A.D)
Mahallaka Naga
(135 A.D)
Kudda Naga
(195 A.D)
Siri Naga I
(196 A.D)
Woharaka Tissa
(215 A.D)
Abhaya Naga
(237 A.D)
Siri Naga II
(2245 A.D)
ViyaYa
(247 A.D)

Sri Lanka pre-History

Sri Lanka History is incident full. Being an important trade port and oasis of Nature for sea farers of India, East Asia, Europe and Arabia of the ancient times. Sri Lanka has a fascinating documented history over 2500 years of Civilization

Sri Lanka- Pre Historic Times

Sri Lanka has a recorded history since 543 B.C. Although records are not found of civilizations before 543 B.C., historical facts reveal that a civilization existed even long before from Rawana Times. It's believed that an Expelled prince Vijaya to be the first Aryan King of Sri Lanka. Since then many Kings Ruled Sri Lanka Till 1815.

The Homo Sapiens first appeared in Sri Lanka about 500,000 B.C. Few artifacts have been found dating back to subsequent Paleolithic culture of the second Stone age period. Stone cultures endured until about 1000 B.C. The second phase of stone age may have ended some few centuries later with the establishment of metal. The Stone working culture was known as Balandoga Culture. They first made an impression on island life about 5000 B.C and spread through out the Sri Lanka.The Balangoda Manawaya survived until about 500 B.C and faded out under the advance of early settlers from India.

List of pre Historic Caves
Beli Lena - Kitulgala
Wavul Pane - Ratnapura

Kingdom of Ruhuna

The Kingdom of Ruhuna was a Medieval era Sinhalese kingdom located in southern part of Sri Lanka. The capital was known as Magama, near modern Tissamaharama in the Southern Province. The boundries of the Kingdom of Ruhuna are Mahaveli River from North, and keleni river from North West.

Kingdom of Polonnaruwa


The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was the second major Sinhalese kingdom of Sri Lanka. It lasted from 1055 under Vijayabahu I to 1212 under the rule of Lilavati. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa came after the Anuradhapura Kingdom was invaded by Chola forces under Rajaraja I and after the Kingdom of Ruhuna, where the Sinhalese Kings ruled during Chola occupation.

Vijayabahu I (1055-1110), recaptured the whole Island, and established Polonnaruwa as the new capital. King Vijayabahu married from the Kalinga (Orissa) Royal Family a second queen, and had a son Vikramabâhu I and a daughter Ratnavali. His sister, Mitta, married a Pandya Prince who had three sons, the eldest being Manabharana. He married Ratnavali. Their son was Parākramabāhu I (1153-1186) Grandson of Vijayabahu I, Prince of Sinhala-Pandyan-Kalinga descent, son of Manabharana and Vijayabahu’s sister, Mitta. He was a very powerful king, noted for his engineering,[1] naval power, art, culture, many Sinhala inscriptions, and even a Tamil edict in Uruthota (Kayts). The Chulavamsa was written by Dharmakirthi, updating the Mahavamsa to include Parakramabahu. It was a great age since the epic Anradhapura period.

Jaffna kingdom
Jaffna kingdom and Aryacakravarti dynasty

The Jaffna kingdom, also known as Kingdom of Aryacakravarti came into existence after the invasion of Magha, who is said to have been from Kalinga, in South India. It eventually became a tribute paying feudatory of the Pandyan Empire in modern South India in 1250, but later become independent with the fragmentation of the Pandyan control. For a brief period, in the early to middle fourteenth century, it was an ascendant power in the island of Sri Lanka when all regional kingdoms accepted subordination. However, the kingdom was eventually overpowered by the rival Kotte Kingdom, around 1450.

It was freed of Kotte control in 1467; its subsequent rulers directed their energies towards consolidating its economic potential by maximising revenue from pearls and elephant exports and land revenue. It was less feudal than most of other regional kingdoms in the island of Sri Lanka of the same period. During this period, important local Tamil literature was produced and Hindu temples were built including an academy for language advancement.

The arrival of the Portuguese colonial power to the island of Sri Lanka in 1505, and its strategic location in the Palk Strait connecting all interior Sinhalese kingdoms to South India, created political problems. Many of its kings confronted and ultimately made peace with the Portuguese colonials. In 1617, Cankili II, an usurper to the throne, confronted the Portuguese but was defeated, thus bringing the kingdom’s independent existence to an end in 1619.

Kingdom of Dambadeniya
Dambadeniya is an ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Four kings ruled from here, Vijayabâhu III (1220-1236), Parâkkamabâhu II (1236-1270), Vijayabâhu IV (1270-1272), Bhuvanaikabâhu I(1272-1283).

The first king to choose Dambadeniya as his capital was Vijayabâhu III. He was able to bring about the unity among the sangha that had fled in various directions due to the hostile activities of the invader Kalinga magha & succeeded in holding a Buddhist convention in 1226 to bring about peace among the Buddhist clergy. king Parâkkamabâhu II inherited the throne from king Vijayabâhu. He is considered a genius who was a great poet & prolific writer. Among the books he wrote are Kausilumina, which is considered a great piece of literature. Unifying the three kingdoms that existed within Sri Lanka at that point of time is regarded as greatest achievement.

King Bosath Vijayabâhu, as the eldest son of king Parâkkamabâhu II, was crowned in 1270. He was well known for his modest behaviour & for his religious activities. He was killed in the second year of his reign by a minister called Miththa.

After the demise of his elder brother Vijayabâhu, king Bhuvanaikabâhu I, as the next in line to the throne, shifted the capital to Yapahuwa for reasons of security. He followed his father's footsteps as a writer & continued with the religious activities started by his brother Vijayabâhu.

Anuradhapura Kingdom

In the early ages of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Sinhalese economic was based on farming and made their early settlements mainly near the rivers of the east, north central, and north east areas, which supplied the water for farming for the whole year. The king was the ruler of country, the law, the Army and the protector of faith. Devanampiya Tissa (250-210 BC), a Sinhalese King of the Mauriya clan. His links with Emperor Asoka led to the introduction of Buddhism by Mahinda (son of Asoka) in 247? BC. Sangamitta, (sister of Mahinda) brought a Bodhi sapling via Jambukola (Sambiliturei). This king's reign was crucial to Theravada Buddhism, and for Sri Lanka.

Elara (205-161 BC), a Tamil King who ruled "Pihiti Rata", i.e., Sri Lanka north of the mahaweli, after killing King Asela. During Elara's time, Kelani Tissa was a sub-king of Maya Rata (south-west) and Kavan Tissa was a regional sub-king of Ruhuna (south-east). Kavan Tissa built Tissa Maha Vihara, Dighavapi Tank and many shrines in Seruvila. Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) – Eldest son of King Kavan Tissa, who was a young man 25 years of age, defeated the South Indian Tamil Invader Elara (over 64 years of age) in single combat, described in the Mahavamsa. Dutugemunu is depicted as a Sinhala "Asoka". The Ruwanwelisaya, built by this king is a dagaba of pyramid-like proportions. It was an engineering marvel.

Pulahatta (or Pulahatha) deposed by Bahiya, was deposed by Panaya Mara, deposed by Pilaya Mara, murdered by Dathiya 88 BC – deposed by Valagambahu, ending Tamil rule. Valagambahu I (89-77) BC – restored the Dutugamunu dynasty. The Mahavihara Theravada - Abhayagiri (pro-Mahayana) doctrinal disputes arose at this time. The Tripitaka was written in Pali at Aluvihara, Matale. Chora Naga (Mahanaga) (63-51) BC; poisoned by his consort Anula. Queen Anula (48-44 BC) – Widow of Chora Naga and Kuda Tissa, was the first Queen of Lanka. She had many lovers who were poisoned by her. She was finally killed by: Kuttakanna Tissa. Vasabha (67-111 AD) – Vallipuram gold plate; he fortified Anuradhapura and built eleven tanks; many edicts. Gajabahu I (114-136) – invaded the Chola kingdom and brought back captives. He recovered the tooth relic of the Buddha.

Mahasena (274-301) – The Theravada (Maha Vihara) was persecuted and Mahayana surfaced. Later the King returned to the Maha Vihara. Pandu (429) - first of seven Pandiyan rulers, ending with Pithya, 455; Dhatusena (459-477), his uncle, Mahanama wrote the Mahavamsa, he built "Kalaweva". His son Kashyapa (477-495), built the famous sigiriya rock palace. Some 700 rock graffiti give a glimpse of ancient Sinhala.

Ancient Sri Lanka

The Pali chronicles, the Dipavansa, Mahavansa, Thupavansa and the Chulavansa as well as a large collection of stone inscriptions, the Indian Epigraphical records, the Burmese versions of the chronicles etc., provide an exceptional record for the history of Sri Lanka from about the 6th century B.C.
The Mahavansa, written around 400 AD by the monk Nagasena, using the Deepavamsa, the Attakatha and other written sources available to him, correlates well with Indian histories of the period. Indeed Emperor Asoka's reign is recorded in the Mahavansa. The Mahavansa account of the period prior to Asoka's coronation, (218 years after the Buddha's death) seems to be part legend. History proper begins with the arrival of Vijaya and his 700 followers. Vijaya, is a Kalinga(ancient Orissa) prince, the eldest son of King Sinhabahu ("Man with Lion arms") and his sister Queen Sinhasivali. Both these Sinhala leaders were born of a mythical union between a lion and a human princess. The Mahavansa claims that Vijaya landed on the same day as the death of the Buddha (See Geiger's preface to Mahavansa). The story of Vijaya and Kuveni (the local reigning queen) is reminiscent of Greek legend, and may have a common source in ancient Proto-Indo-European folk tales.

According to the Mahavansa, Vijaya landed on Sri Lanka near Mahathitha (Manthota or Mannar, and named the Island "Thambaparni" ('copper-colored palms). This name is attested in Ptolemy's map of the ancient world.

Tamirabharani is the old name for the second longest river in Sri Lanka (known as Malwatu Oya in Sinhala and Aruvi Aru in Tamil). This river was a main supply route connecting the capital, Anuradhapura to Mahathitha (Mannar). The waterway was used by Greek and by Chinese ships travelling the southern Silk Route.

Mahathitha was an ancient port linking Sri Lanka to India and the Persian gulf,.

The present day Sihalese (and many modern Tamils) are a mixture of the indegenous people and of other peoples who came to the island from various parts of India. The Sinhalese recognize the Vijayan Indo-Aryan culture and Buddism (already in existence prior to the arrival of Vijaya), as distinct from other groups in neighbouring south India.

Prehistoric Sri Lanka

The earliest archaeological evidence of human colonization in Sri Lanka appears at the site of Balangoda. These Balangoda people arrived on the island about 34,000 years ago and are identified as Mesolithic hunter gatherers who lived in caves. Several of these caves including the well known Batadombalena and the Fa-Hien Rock cave) have yielded many artifacts from these people, currently the first known inhabitants of the island.

The Sandakelum people probably created Horton Plains, in the central hills, by burning the trees in order to catch game. However, the discovery of oats and barley on the plains at about 15,000 BC suggests that agriculture had already developed at this eary date.

Several minute granite tools, (about 4 centimetres in length), earthenware, remnants of charred timber, and clay burial pots date to the Mesolithic stone age. Human remains dating to 6000 BC have been discovered during recent excavations around a cave at Varana Raja Maha vihara and in Kalatuwawa area.

Cinnamon, which is native to Sri Lanka, has been found in Ancient Egypt as early as 1500 BC, suggesting early trade between Egypt and the island's inhabitants. It is possible that Biblical Tarshish was located on the island. (James Emerson Tennent identified Sri Lanka with Galle).

Archaeological evidence for the beginnings of the Iron age in Sri Lanka is found at Anuradhapura, where a large city–settlement was founded before 900 BC. The settlement was about 15 hectares in 900 BC, but by 700 BC it had expanded to 50 hectares.[3] A similar site from the same period has also been discovered near Aligala in Sigiriya.

The hunter-gatherer people known as the Wanniyala-Aetto or Veddas, (who still live in the central, Uva and north-eastern parts of the island), are probably direct descendants of the first inhabitants (Balangoda man). They may have migrated to the island from the mainland around the time humans spread from Africa to the Indian subcontinent.

Around 500 BC, Sri Lankans (archaeological phase?, Cultural/Linguistic Identity?) developed a unique hydraulic civilization. Achievements include the construction of the largest reservoirs and dams of the ancient world as well as enormous pyramid-like Stupa (Dagoba) architecture. This phase of Sri Lankan culture was profoundly influenced by early Buddhism.

Around 400 BC, Indo-Aryan peoples emigrated from India, mixed with the Hela people and later Buddhism was established to create the Sinhalese culture in Sri Lanka. Buddhist scriptures note three visits by the Buddha to the island to see the Naga Kings, who are said to be snakes that can take the form of human at will. The kings are though to be symbolic and not based on historical fact.

More than 70% of the current Sinhalese populace identify themselves as Buddhist. By contrast most of the current Tamil populace identify themselves as Hindu.

The earliest surviving chronicles from the island, the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa, say that tribes of Yakkhas (demon worshippers), Nagas (cobra worshippers) and devas (god worshippers) inhabited the island prior to the migration of Vijaya.

Pottery has been found at Anuradhapura, bearing Brahmi script and non-Brahmi writing, dating back to 600 BC – one of the oldest examples of the script.

History of Sri Lanka

The chronicle records and archaeological discoveries of human beings and their events happened in area known as Sri Lanka is called the History of Sri Lanka. The number of archaeological evidences and chronicles written by Sri Lankans and non-Sri Lankans, exploring the history of more than 10,000 years.

The archaeological discovery of the Balangoda Man providing the evidences of a 30,000 years past civilization and with the famous chronicles of Sri Lanka, the Mahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya which has the recorded Sri Lankan history from the beginnings of the Sinhalese monarchy in the 6th century BC to the arrival of European Colonialists in the sixteenth century, up until the disestablishment of the monarchy in 1815. There are some historical records about the country aslo included in the famous Indian chronicles of sage Valmiki's Ramayana, Mahabharata and the ancient books of Gautama Buddha's teachings.

The period after sixteenth century, some coastal areas of the country was ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. After the year 1815 the entire nation was ruled by the British Colonialists until the political independence granted in 1948 and becomes a sovereign state after 1972. The Sri Lankan people's armed uprisings happened against the British colonial rule in 1818 Uva Rebellion and in 1848 Matale Rebellion.

The new constitution was introduced in 1978 the Executive President as the head of state, was happened after the armed youth uprising in 1971 known as 1971 April Rebellion. The Sri Lankan Civil War started in 1983 and again another armed youth uprising happened in 1987-89 period and the 26 year civil war ended in year 2009.

The significant cultural changes happened after introducing the Buddhism in 3rd century BC by Arhath Mahinda (was the son of Indian emperor Ashoka the Great), after sixteenth century arrival of European Colonialists and after 1977 the new open economic policies also changed the cultural values in the country.

Devotees worship demon king Ravana in Allahabad India

ALLAHABAD - Devotees here offered prayers and took out a procession to honour Ravana, the mythological demon-king.“Ravana was not a villain. He was a very intelligent man and very good scientist as well. There was no one equal to him during his time. So, in order to show respect towards his intellect and valour, we worship him here,” said Hemendra Nath, a resident.Ravana’s devotees don’t burn his effigies but offer prayers and worship him as God.The event was organised before the advent of the ten-day annual festival of ‘Dussehra’ that coincides with the culmination of Durga Puja.‘Dussehra’ marks the triumph of good over evil.According to Hindu mythology, on this day, Lord Rama beheaded Ravana, the hydra with ten heads.Effigies of Ravana’s brother Kumbhakarna and his son Meghnath are also burnt on the occasion.Legend has it that Lord Rama’s consort Sita was abducted by Ravana. Rama went in war with Ravana to release his wife from captivity. Rama’s victory over Ravana is described as the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated every year as ‘Dussehra’.‘Dussehra’ is also interpreted as “Dasa-Hara”, which means the cutting of the ten heads of Ravana.On this day, people resolve to cut ten heads-passion, pride, anger, greed, infatuation, lust, hatred, Jealousy, selfishness and crookedness. (ANI)

RAVANA BY DR. C . S . SHAH

Ravana was the king of Lanka. His prosperity could be judged by the fact that his Lanka � capital city � was built in gold. Everyone had enough of food and shelter. Except for his brother Vibhishana, and to some extent his (Ravana's) wife Mandodari, rest of the people in his kingdom followed Ravana's path of material enjoyment as the goal in life. He had a huge army to defend his kingdom which was rarely threatened and nobody even imagined in dream that it would be. Moreover, the location of his capital was such that outsiders could not venture to reach there, as a sprawling sea separated it from the far off land.Ravana was the mightiest king on the earth at his time. He was very learned and accomplished person. He was great devotee of Lord Shiva, and had obtained the boon that he would not be killed by anyone other than the Lord Himself! He was well versed in Vedas, and other scriptures. He used to worship Lord Shiva daily. His bravery, courage, and expertise in use of all types of instruments of war like bow and arrow, mace, sword, so on was acknowledged by everyone.Moreover, he was gifted with special supernatural powers known as Mayawi-Shakti. With its help he could fly in the air, become invisible, could throw rain, fire, or thousands of arrows in a war encounter. He had many other powers granted to him by Brahma God as well. Then, still, why call him wicked or evil? This was because he was selfish! He was interested in using all these powers for himself only, and that too to gratify his senses alone. He did not believe that all spiritual disciplines and worship are meant to seek refuge at the Holy Feet of his Chosen Ideal, but wanted to make use of all such powers to rule over the world as unconquerable King.Thus he was full of lust, pride, anger, covetousness, infatuation, hatred, and jealousy. These tendencies, according to our scriptures, cause downfall of a man and hence such persons are called Demons. They are engrossed in a life style where they are blind to the values of compassion, kindness, and service. They practice unrighteousness, and do not allow the devotees or sadhakas to pursue their spiritual practices to seek God (or Self or Truth, or Atman or Brahman). Religion takes a downhill course.And hence God incarnates to destroy them to establish means and ways of righteousness - Rama as Avatara.As Shurpanakha, his sister, narrated the insulting treatment meted out to her by the two brothers Rama and Laxmana, the anger rose high in the heart and head of Ravana. Fuel was added to fire when Ravana heard that Sita, wife of Rama, laughed at the cutting of the ears and nose of his sister. He decided to avenge this insult. Pacifying her sister, he decided to reach the Dandakaranya to kidnap Sita as a way of revenge! Ravana Plans Abduction of Sita.The Story of Golden Deer Ravana made all the arrangements to start for his mission. Meanwhile, his minister, Marich, offered his help to accomplish his mission. Near the Panchavati, Marich changed himself in the form of a beautiful golden deer! Jumping here and there, it caught sight of Sita. Rama and Laxmana were also present in the hut. Pleadingly, Sita said, "O honorable Rama, look what a wonderful golden deer is roaming around our hut. I am very much desirous of having his skin for my use. Will you not bring it for me?"
Rama tried to dissuade her from such disturbing thought, but Sita did not desist. She insisted to have the skin of golden deer. Ultimately Rama acceded to her request. Calling attention of brother Laxmana, Rama said, "O brother, I am going after the deer to fetch its skin. Be vigilant and protect Sita in case of any difficulty or predicament. I do not know why I have this premonition of calamity befalling us."
Laxmana promised to look after Sita. As soon as the deer - demon Marich - got the hint of Rama coming after him, he fled with the speed unheard of. It went far away. Rama ran after the deer in great speed but could not shoot his arrow as the distance between the two was always great. At last Rama shot his arrow which mortally wounded the deer. On falling to the ground, deer Marich shouted, mimicking the voice of Rama,
"O brother Laxmana, rush to help me, I am wounded." This he repeated thrice in a very loud voice that would reach the ears of Sita and Laxmana. On hearing the cry of her husband, Sita asked Laxmana to rush to help Rama.

BY PENANCE AND DEVOTION TO BRHMA

Ravana was made invulnerable against gods and demons, but he was doomed to diethrough a woman. He was also enabled to assume any form he pleased. All Rakshasas are malignant and terrible, but Ravana as their chief attained the utmost degree of wickedness, and was a very incarnation of evil.He is described in the Ramayana as having "ten heads (hence his names Dasanana, Dasakantha, and Panktigriva), twenty arms, and copper-coloured eyes, and bright teeth like the young moon. His form was as a thick cloud or a mountain, or the god of death with open mouth. He had all the marks of royalty, but his body bore the impress of wounds inflicted by all the divine arms in his warfare with the gods. It was scarred by the thunderbolt of Indra, by the tusks of Indra's elephant Airavata, and by the discus of Vishnu.His strength was so great that he could agitate the seas and split the tops of mountains. He was a breaker of all laws and a ravisher of other men's wives. Tall as a mountain peak, he stopped with his arms the sun and moon in their course, and prevented their rising." The terror he inspires is such that where he is "the sun does not give out its heat, the winds do not blow, and the oceans become motionless."His evil deeds cried aloud for vengeance, and the cry reached heaven. Vishnu declared that, as Ravana had been too proud to seek protection against men and beasts, he should fall under their attackes, so Vishnu became incarnate as Ramachandra for the express purpose of destroying Ravana, and vast numbers of monkeys and bears were created to aid in the enterprise.Rama's wars against the Rakshasas inflicted such losses upon them as greatly to incense Ravana. Burning with rage, and excited by a passion for Sita, the wife of Rama, he left his island abode, repaired to Rama's dwelling,assumed the appearance of a religious mendicant, and carried off Sita to Lanka. Ravana urged Sita to become his wife, and threatened to kill and eat her if she refused. Sita persistently resisted, and was saved from death by the interposition of one of Ravana's wives.Rama called to his assistance his allies Sugriva and Hanuman, with their hosts of monkeys and bears. They built Rama's bridge, by which they passed over into Lanka, and after many battles and wholesale slaughter Ravana was brought to bay at the city of Lanka.Rama and Ravana fought together on equal terms for a long while, victory sometimes inclining to one sometimes to the other. Rama with a sharp arrow cut off one of Ravana's heads, "but no sooner did the head fall on the ground than another sprang up in its room." Rama then took an arrow which had been made by Brahma, and discharged it at his foe. It entered his breast, came out of his back, went to the ocean, and then returnedclean to the quiver of Rama. "Ravana fell to the ground and expired,and the gods sounded celestial music in the heavens, and assembled in the sky and praised Rama as Vishnu, in that he had slain that Ravana who would otherwise have caused their destruction."Ravana, though he was chief among Rakshasas, was a Brahman on his father's side; he was well versed in Sanskrit, used the Vedic ritual, and his body was burnt with Brahmnical rites.There is a story that Ravana made each of the gods perform some menial office in his household: thus Agni was his cook, Varuna supplied water, Kuvera furnished money, Vayu swept the house, etc.The Vishnu Purana relates that Ravana, "elevated with wine, came on his tour of triumph to the city of Mahishmati, but there he was taken prisoner by King Kartavirya, and confined like a beast in a corner of his capital." The same authority states that, in another birth, Ravana was Sisupala.Ravana's chief wife was Mandodari, but he had many others, and they were burnt at his obsequies. His sons were Meghanada, also called Indrajit, Ravani, and Aksha; Trisikha or Trisiras, Devantaka, Narantaka, and Atikaya.

Popular Culture

Ravana has been depicted as a cybernetic being possessing great powers in the Virgin Comics series Ramayan 3392 A.D.. In this series, Ravana is shown to be devoid of any human feeling and only embodies pure evil.

In an animated television film named after the Ramayana, Ravana is a luxury-loving, arrogant emperor who kidnaps Sita (as suggested above) to punish Rama for the mutilation of Shoorpanakha. He is mostly shown as an ordinary man, albeit with pointed ears and the ability to change shape. When he is angry or combating Rama, he assumes the commonly perceived features of multiple heads and (except in the first such scene) twenty arms.

Ashok K. Banker, a novelist who wrote a series of books featuring the Ramayan's basic storyline and characters, depicted Ravana as a dark lord capable of projecting himself into inanimate objects, of demonic possession, and of other feats of magic. Nearly all the legends described above are ascribed to him, but his character undergoes some significant changes throughout the series. He is at first depicted as an archvillain, but evolves gradually into a thing of smaller scale, ultimately to the point of seeming fully human despite his ten heads. When he goes to face Rama for the last time, Ravana is fully aware that he will die in this battle and seems to know the histories of all of his own previous incarnations. He is shot down dramatically and dies with elegance.

Rama has also been depicted in the original(but non-canon) "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" novel, "Resurrecting Ravana" by Ray Garton. In the novel, Gile's old foe Ethan Rayne cons the granddaughter of Benson Lovecraft out of a statue of Ravana, planning to resurrect the God with the aid of the Rakshasa, lesser demons which induce close friends to argue and eventually brutally kill each other.

Ravana appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga as a powerful boss and is only one of dozens of references to Hindu mythology.

Ravana Temples

Despite Valmiki's attempt to portray Ravana [1,2] as a villain, there are several temples where he is worshipped.[5][6][7] Ravana is considered most revered devotee of Lord Shiva. The images of Ravana are seen associated with lord Shiva at some places.

There is a huge Shivalinga in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, supposedly installed by Ravana himself, with a statue of Ravana near by. Both Shivalinga and Ravana are worshiped by the fishermen community there.

In Sri Lanka, a thousand years ago, King Walagamba is said to have constructed cave temples for Ravana in the Ella Valley.

Thousands of Kanyakubja Brahmins of the village Ravangram of Netaran, in the Vidisha District of Madhya Pradesh, perform daily puja (worship) in the Ravan temple and offer naivedyam / bhog (a ritual of sacrifice to the Gods. Centuries ago King Shiv Shankar built a Ravana temple at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Ravana temple is opened once in a year, on Dashehra Day, to perform puja for the welfare of Ravana.

A Jain temple in Alvar, Rajasthan is called the Ravan Parsvanath Temple. The legend says that Ravana used to worship Parsvanath daily. While Ravana was on tour to Alvar he realized that he forgot to bring the image of Parsvanath. Mandodari, Ravana's wife, is said to have made an image of Parsvanath immediately. And hence the Ravan Parsvanath temple at Alvar.[8]

Ravana is said to have married Princess Mandodari at a place about 32 kilometers away from Jodhpur, which is now called Mandor. There is a mandap (altar or pavilion) where Ravana is said to have married Mandodari, and which the local people call Ravan Jee Ki Chanwari.

At the altar can also be found the images of Saptamatri (Seven Mothers) flanked by Ganesha and Veera Bhadra. The Saptamatri images are said to precede the time of the Pratihara Dynasty (founded in the 6th Century AD) and are in fact reminscent of the images of seven female deities of Harappa - the oldest civilization in India. In the nearby stepwell, a stone bears a script that resembles the Harappan script.

The Dave Brahmins of Mudgal Gotra, Jodhpur/Mandor who were originally from Gujarat, claim to be the descendants of Ravana. The say that since time immemorial they are performing the shraddh (death anniversary) of Ravana on Dashehra Day every year. They offer pind daan and take a bath after that ritual. They recently erected a Ravan temple in Jodhpur, where daily puja is performed.

There is a theory proposed by Sinhalese nationlists that points to the southern part of Sri Lanka as the capital of Ravana, hence the name Ruhuna came to existence. "Ruhuna" is claimed to be derived from the word's Ravana Pura or Rohana Pura, despite the liguistic improbability of 'va' becoming 'ha' in Prakrit. This is probably an attempt to tie Ravana with the history of that other national hero: Duttagamini, who was a king from that region.

Ravana's family

This section deals with many members of Ravana's family. Since they are hardly mentioned outside the Ramayana, not much can be said about them. They are presented here as they are in the Ramayana, which is viewed by some as being only the point of view of Rama devotees, but is the most complete account of the story that is known.

Ravana was married to Mandodari, the daughter of the celestial architect Maya. He had seven sons from his three wives:

1. Indrajit
2. Prahasta
3. Atikaya
4. Akshayakumara
5. Devantaka
6. Narantaka
7. Trishira

Ravana's paternal grandfather was Pulastya, son of Brahma. Ravana's maternal grandfather was Malyavan, who was against the war with Rama, and his maternal grandmother was Tataki. Ravana also had a maternal uncle, Maricha.

Ravana had six brothers and two sisters:

1. Kubera - the King of North direction and the Guardian of Heavenly Wealth. He was an older half-brother of Ravana: they were born to the same father by different mothers.
2. Vibhishana - A great follower of Sri Rama and one of the most important characters in the Ramayana. As a minister and brother of Ravana, he spoke the Truth without fear and advised Ravana to return Kidnapped Sita and uphold Dharma. Ravana not only rejected this sane advice, but also banished him from his kingdom. Vibhishana sought protection from Sri Rama, which was granted without hesitation. He is known as a great devotee of Sri Rama.
3. Kumbhakarna - One of the most jovial demons in Hindu history. When offered a boon by Brahma, he was tricked into asking for unending sleep! A horrified Ravana, out of brotherly love, persuaded Brahma to amend the boon. Brahma mitigated the power of the boon by making Kumbhakarna sleep for six months and being awake for rest six months of a year (in some versions, he is awake for one day out of the year). During the war with Sri Rama, Kumbhakarna was awakened from his sleep. He tried to persuade Ravana to follow Dharmic path and return Sita; seek mercy of Sri Rama. But he too failed to mend the ways of Ravana. However, he fought on the side of Ravana and was killed in the battlefield. Before dying he met Vibhishana and blessed him for following path of righteousness.
4. Khara - King of Janasthan. He protected the northern kingdom of Lanka in the mainland and his kingdom bordered with the Kosala Kingdom, the kingdom of Rama. He was well-known for his superior skills in warfare.
5. Dushana - Viceroy of Janasthan.
6. Ahiravan - King of the Underworld ruled by the rakshasas by Ravana and Demon King Maya.
7. Kumbhini - sister of Ravana and the wife of the demon Madhu, King of Mathura, she was the mother of Lavanasura. She was renowned for her beauty and later retired to the sea for penance.
8. Surpanakha - the evil sister of Ravana. She was the ultimate root of the kidnapping of Sita Devi. She was the one who instigated her brothers to wage a war against Rama.

Depiction in other Scriptures, as Vishnu's cursed doorkeeper

In the Bhagavata Purana, Ravana and his brother, Kumbakarna were said to be reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers at Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu and were cursed to be born in Earth for their insolence.

These gatekeepers refused entry to the Sanatha Kumara monks, who, because of their powers and austerity appeared as young children. For their insolence, the monks cursed them to be expelled from Vaikunta and to be born on Earth.

God Vishnu agreed that they should be punished, but agreed to mitigate their curse. He asked them whether they wanted seven births as devotees of Vishnu or three births as enemies of the Lord. Since they wanted to return as soon as possible, they agreed to be born in three births as evil-doers. As according to the Vishnu Puarana, once Narada wanted to get the Shape & form of Lord Vishnu, so that he could marry a Princess on whom he had developed infatuation (although it was a Vishnu's mesmerisation. On desperate request of Narada, Lord Vishnu actually made him look like a monkey. Narada straightaway went to the Swayamvara of that Princess. The princess is said to have passed Him three times, when he didn't still realise why he was rejected(as he believed that he looked Like Lord Vishnu). Other Princesses present there made fun out of his Appearance and told him to just have a look at himself before looking at the Princess. He went to a nearby fountain & looked in the water. He was furious to find that he, in fact, looked like a monkey. Lord Vishnu was also present there. Narada cursed him saying that in 'Treta Yuga his beloved wife will get kidnapped by a Demon. He will be compelled to seek help from the monkeys. The two Door Keepers of Lord Vishnu, Jai & Vijay, were also present there laughed uncontrollably at Narada's plight.Enraged he hurled another curse at them as, that they should live on Earth as Demons at that time. Just then when the princess put the Swayamvara Garland on Vishnu's neck and she came to her real incarnation as Goddess Lakshmi. On this Narada realised his mistake and asked for apology from Lord Vishnu. Upon which Vishnu said that, it was bound to happen. Jai & Vijay pleaded to Lord Narada to forgive them. But a curse could never be taken back, so he limited the Curse to Three Lives. Lord Vishnu came to their rescue & said that he would each time he bring them Mokhsha by Killing them & that they would be back in his service after that.

In the first birth,in kritaYuga Jaya and Vijaya were born as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Vishnu incarnated as Varaha and Narasimha and killed them both. In Treta Yuga they were born as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and were killed by Rama. Then in Dwapara Yuga. In their final birth, they were born as Shishupala and Dantavakra, and killed by Sri Krishna. After the end of three births, they returned to Vaikunta.

Ravana was known for his virility and his aggressive conquests of women. Ravana had several wives, foremost of whom was Mandodari - daughter of Mayasura and an apsara named Hema.Mandodari was renowned for her wisdom and grace as well as beauty and chastity. She is often compared to Sita, the most beautiful woman described in Indian spiritualism.In addition to his wives, Ravana maintained a harem of incredible size, populated with women whom he captured in his many conquests, many of them accepted and lived happily in his harem for his great manhood, power, and knowledge of different subjects. Ravana was known to force himself upon any woman who rejected his advances. Two significant encounters occurred that would shape the course of the Ramayana.The first was the encounter with the sage-woman Vedavati. Vedavati had been performing penance with the intention of winning Lord had been performing penance with the intention of winning Lord Vishnu as her husband. Ravana met her at her hermitage, her beauty enhanced by the austerities she had performed. He propositions her and is rejected. Ravana mocks her austerities and her devotion to Vishnu; finding himself firmly rejected at every turn, he tries to molest Vedavati, pulling her hair. This greatly incensed her, and she forthwith cut off her hair, and said she would enter into the fire before his eyes, adding, "Since I have been insulted in the forest by thee who art wicked-hearted, I shall be born again for thy destruction." So she entered the blazing fire, and celestial flowers fell all around. It was she who was born again as Sita, and was the moving cause of Ravana's death, though Rama was the agent.Vedavati is said to have been reborn as Sita, causing Ravana's death and winning Vishnu (as Rama) as her husband.The second was his encounter with the apsara Rambha, upon whom he forced himself. Rambha was betrothed to Kubera's son, but her plea that she was like a daughter to him did not deter Ravana. Angered at this, Kubera's son cursed Ravana, stating that his ten heads would fall off if he forced himself upon any woman thereafter. This curse is said to have protected Sita's chastity while she was Ravana's captive for nearly a year.

Ravana is the Emperor of the Three Worlds

Ravana have abilities now truly awe-inspiring, Ravana proceeded on a series of campaigns, conquering humans, celestials and other demons. Conquering the netherworld completely, he left his brother Ahiravana as king. He became supreme overlord of all asuras in the three worlds, making an alliance with the Nivatakavachas and Kalakeyas, two clans he was unable to subdue. Conquering several kingdoms of the human world, he performed the suitable sacrifices and was crowned Emperor.

Kubera at one point chastised Ravana for his cruelty and greed, greatly angering him. Proceeding to the heavens, Ravana fought and defeated the devas, singling out his brother for particular humiliation. By force he gained command over the gods, celestials, and the serpent races. At the time of the Ramayana, set several hundred years later, Ravana is shown as dominating all human and divine races - so much so that he can command the Sun's rising and setting.

RAVANA DEVOTEE OF SHIVA

Following his conquest of Lanka, Ravana encountered Shiva at his abode in Kailash. Here Ravana attempted to uproot and move the mountain on a whim. Shiva, annoyed by Ravana's arrogance, pressed his littlest Toe on Kailash, pinning him firmly and painfully under it. His ganas informed Ravana of whom he had crossed, upon which Ravana became penitent. He composed and sang songs praising Shiva, and is said to have done so for years until Shiva released him from his bondage.Pleased with his resilience and devotion, Shiva gave to him the divine sword Chandrahas ("Moon-blade"). It was during this incident that he acquired the name 'Ravana', meaning "(He) Of the terrifying roar", given to him by Shiva - the earth is said to have quaked at Ravana's cry of pain when the mountain was pinned on him. Ravana in turn became a lifelong devotee of Lord Shiva and is said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra.After Ravana had been given the Celestial juice of Immortality by Brahma, he went on to please Shiva. He cut his head & put it as sacrifice for pleasing Shiva, but Shiva replaced his head with a new one. This was repeated Nine times, on which Shiva was happy & pleased with Ravana's resilience & devotion. Thus he also got name Dassa-sheesha.

SINHALESE KING OF SRI LANKA

After winning these boons, Ravana sought out his grandfather, Sumali, and assumed leadership over his army. He then set his sights on capturing the island city of Lanka (present day Sri Lanka).Lanka was an idyllic city, created by the celestial architect Vishwakarma for Kubera, the treasurer of the gods. Kubera had generously shared all that he owned with Ravana and the latter's siblings, who were Kubera's half-brothers and half-sister through his stepmother Kaikesi. However, Ravana demanded Lanka wholly from him, threatening to take it by force. Vishrava, their father, advised Kubera to give it up to him, as Ravana was now undefeatable.Although Ravana usurped Lanka, he was nevertheless regarded as a benevolent and effective ruler. Lanka flourished under his rule, to the extent that it is said the poorest of houses had vessels of gold to eat and drink off, and hunger was unknown in the kingdom.

Tapas to Brahma

Following his initial training, Ravana performed an intense penance to Brahma (the Creator God), lasting several years. He chopped his head for 10 times in an anger towards brahma not appearing for his penance, each time when he sliced his head new head will arise and thus continued his penance. Atlast Brahama pleased with his austerity appeared after he slewed his head for 10th time and offered him a boon. Ravana asked for immortality, which Brahma refused to give, but gave him the celestial nectar of immortality. The nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, according to which he could never be vanquished till the nectar was dried out.Ravana then asked for absolute invulnerability and supremacy before gods and heavenly spirits, other demons, serpents, and wild beasts. Contemptuous of mortal men, he did not ask for protection from these. Brahma granted him these boons, and additionally his 10 heads that he severed, along with great strength by way of knowledge of divine weapons and sorcery. Thus ravana known to be 'Dasamuga' (Dasa = ten, muga = face).

Ravana was born to his father Brahmin sage known as Vishrava and his wife, the daitya princess Kaikesi. He was born in the Devagana gotra, as his grandfather, sage Pulastya, was one of the ten Prajapatis or mind-born sons of Brahma and one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the first Manvantara. Kaikesi's father, Sumali (or Sumalaya), king of the Daityas, wished her to marry the most powerful being in the mortal world, so as to produce an exceptional heir. He rejected the kings of the world, as they were less powerful than him. Kaikesi searched among the sages, and finally chose Vishrava, the father of Kubera. Ravana was thus partly Daitya and partly Brahmin.His brothers were Vibhishana and Kumbhakarna. Through his mother, he was related to the daityas Maricha and Subahu. Kaikesi also produced a daughter, Meenakshi ("girl with fish like eyes"), although later she was dubbed the infamous Shoorpanakha "winnow-like nails".His father Vishrava noted that while Ravana was aggressive and arrogant, he was also an exemplary scholar. Under Vishrava's tutelage, Ravana mastered the Vedas and the holy books and also the arts and ways of Kshatriyas (warriors). Ravana was also an excellent veena player and the sign of his flag had a picture of veena on it.[citation needed] Sumali, his grandfather, worked hard in secret to ensure that he retained the ethics of the Daityas.The Ramayana tells the Ravana had close connections with region of the Yadus, which included Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra and Rajasthan up to Mathura south of Delhi. Ravana is believed to be the related to Lavanasura also regarded as a Rakshasa, of Madhupura (Mathura) in the region of the Surasenas, who was conquered & killed by Shatrughana, youngest brother of Rama.After worshipping a Shiva Linga on the banks of the Narmada, in the more central Yadu region, Ravana was captured and held under the control of King Kartavirya Arjuna, one of the greatest Yadu kings. It is very clear from the references in the Ramayana, That Ravana was no commoner among the Humans or Asuras, a great chanter of the Sama Veda.It is mentioned in one of the chapters of the Srimada Bhagvata, that Sita was actually his daughter. During one of the Ceremonial Yagya By Lord Shiva, Ravana was given the Boon Water,which he was told to give to Mandodari. While on way back to his kingdom, both the husband & wife slept in a lonely forest. During the night, Ravana felt thirsty, so he drank that water & was impregnated. While on the way back to his kingdom the next day, he coughed ferociously and Sita is said to have landed in Janakpur, The kingdom of King Janaka, who while ploughing in ceremony after performing the Yagya for the rains in his drought hit kingdom, struck a metal vessel with the lowest blade of the plough called Seet, this is how Sita's name originated.

THE MURAL STAUTE OF RAVANA IN THAILAND

RAVANA IS LEGENDRY KING IN SRI LANKA

Ravana is a character in Hindu and Srilankan history, a powerful legendary king who ruled in Ancient Lanka (Present day Sri Lanka) and is the primary antagonist in the Ramayan epic.He plays a major role in the Hindu history Ramayana, where he is mainly depicted negatively as a brute, and most infamously as having kidnapped Rama's wife Sita.This depiction is, however, open to other interpretations. Ravana is also mentioned as a great scholar, a capable ruler, a player of the veena and a devoted follower of Shiva, and he has his apologists and staunch devotees within the Hindu traditions. The contrived meaning of "10 headed" as it is propagated by nationalists is that he possessed a very thorough knowledge in the 4 vedas, and 6 upanishadas (although the Upanishads number in their hundreds), which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. However, there is mention in Atharva Veda of demonic brahmans called 'Dasagva' (Ten headed) and 'navagva' (nine headed). These early beings may be the actual forerunners of the later character in the Ramayana.Ravana is also said to have authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology, also known as Kaali Kitab. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under His navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma.

GREAT KING RAVANA IS NOT A DEVIL ……….HE IS A HERO

GREAT KING RAVANA IS NOT A DEVIL ……….HE IS A HERO
The Ramayana is not part of the mainstream Sinhala religious and cultural tradition in Sri Lanka, because Buddhism has been the religion of the majority of Sinhalas for long. But ancient Sinhala works like Rajavaliya and Ravanavaliya identify Ravana as a Sinhala king and extol him as a great one. Scholar Arisen Ahubudhu is the current representative of the ultra nationalistic Hela movement founded by the renowned Sinhala litterateur, the Late Munidasa Kumaratunga. The Hela movement has been urging the Sinhalas to go back to their roots shunning Indian, Hinduistic and other alien influences In his book Sakvithi Ravana (first published in 1988) Ahubudhu says that Ravana reigned over Sri Lanka from 2554 to 2517 BC. He quotes Ravanavaliya to say that Ravana belonged to the "Sun race" as Ra signifies the sun and vana signifies generation. Ahubudhu trashes the Ramayana story that Rama invaded Sri Lanka because Ravana had kidnapped Sita. According to the author, Ravana's step brother Vibhishana, had invited Rama to invade Sri Lanka because he was wanting to oust Ravana from the kingship of the island According to Prof Buddhadasa Hewavitharana, the Sinhalas disapproved of Vibhishana's conduct. In popular lore, the area to which he belonged to (Kalutara North, near Colombo) came to be known as the land of the Desha Shatru Sinhala lore has it that Sri Lanka under the scholarly Ravana saw great advancements in science and medicine. The pushpaka vimana or the aeroplane which he flew, was no figment of imagination, they believe. Ravana holds a high position even as a physician and there exists, to this day, seven books on medicine in his name According to Munidasa Kumaratunga, Ravana's medical works Nadi Pariksha, Arka Prakashata, Uddisa Chiktsaya, Oddiya Chikitsa, Kumara Tantraya and Vatina Prakaranaya were originally written in Sinhala and translated into Sanskrit. Even Indian lore extols Ravana as a Shiva Bhakta and as the composer of the Shivathandawa Stotra. He was a musician, who had fashioned his own stringed instrument called Ravana Vina. The Ramayana may not be in the mainstream of the Sinhala religious culture.But it is very much a part of Sinhala folk lore,As children were told stories from the Ramayana to illustrate ideas of good and bad, the moral and immoral. There are places in Sri Lanka which are still identified with the Ramayana, like the Sita Eliya in Nuwara Eliya district, where there is a temple dedicated to Sita on the banks of a mountain stream. As per local legend, this was the place where Sita was confined by Ravana. Then there is a hill called Ravana Elle, which was supposedly the headquarters of Ravana.

RAVANA’S DEAD BODY FOUND………?????

RAVANA’S DEAD BODY FOUND………?????
BY DESHAN DE SILVA
Aaj tak' news channel recently claimed that its photographer and reporter have found out the place where Ravana's gross body was taken after Sree Rama killed him. In the said news, it is shown that the news channels staffers went to this place where nobody has gone so far. How they overcame obstacles in their path. In the said news item, the photographer and reporter of the channel went to Ragla in Sri Lanka. It is also said that their efforts have been appreciated by the Sri Lankan Government Sri Lanka Government has stated that it would get all the details of this research. The information includes place where Ravana used to land his planes, where his planes were repaired, present condition of Ravana's dead body, Ravana’s treasure, venomous snakes protecting the treasure etc. The said staff of the channel took 3-4 hours to reach the cave where Ravana’s dead body is supposed to be kept. It was told that although there were many dangerous wild animals, they tried to search the dead body of Ravana. They informed that after Ravana’s death, Bibheeshana was very eager to get crowned as the king of Sri Lanka. He did not even lift the dead body of Ravana. Followers of ‘Naga’ sect therefore, used the opportunity to take away the body and preserved the same. It was also claimed that the dead body can become alive.

RAVANA

RAVANA
(The brave Sinhalese King of Ceylon)
Writned by Deshan De Silva

In the Age of the Ramayana Epic, Ravana was the most powerful Sinhalese King of Lankapura (Ceylon or Sri Lanka). He was a renowned devotee of Siva, who was pleased with his severe penances and austerities, granted him the boons of earthly fame and worldly might. Ravana was a very talented Veena (his own design music instrument) player. Ravana used Veena picture on the country flag. Ravana is not a Hindu God but rather a demon given great powers by the Gods because of his worship. The Gods granted him immunity from Death by a God and conferred super-powers upon him. Ravana set himself up as Sinhalese King of Lankapura (Ceylon or Sri Lanka).In the height of his sovereignty, imbued with the desire to have the Lord of Kailas, his tutelary Deity installed in Lanka, he exceeded the limits of disciplined discrimination, and attempted by his invincible strength to transfix Mount Kailas, the traditional abode of Siva from the Himalayan region to that of Lanka. He was foiled in this feat by the Lord crushing him under His Feet; and finally it was his astounding act of penance that saved him from the wrath of Siva. Ravana ripped into his left thigh, removed the nerve fibers and turned it into a lyre, and sang praise of Siva. Then it was that Siva released him, pleased with his mortification. This episode of Ravana was constantly eluded by the Saiva psalmists to signify that piety and devotion alone without purity and humility could not redeem man or give him peace. Ravana was a great Hindu Bhakta; yet his code of life violated the Hindu Dharma and he had to pay for it dearly. Again in the life of Ravana, his insatiable pride and lust made him carry off Sita, the chaste wife of Rama of the powerful dynasty of Raghu at Ayodhya, when they were living in the forest in exile. Rama and his union with the monkey God Hanuman to eventually attack Lankapura( Ceylon or Sri Lanka) and kill Ravana. Ravana was able by magic art to take his soul out of his body and leave it in a box at home, while he went to the wars. Thus he was invulnerable in battle. When he was about to give battle to Rama, he deposited his soul with a hermit called Fire-eye, who was to keep it safe for him. So in the fight Rama was astounded to see that his arrows struck the king without wounding him. But one of Rama’s allies, knowing the secret of the king’s invulnerability, transformed himself by magic into the likeness of the king, and going to the hermit asked back his soul. On receiving it he soared up into the air and flew to Rama, brandishing the box and squeezing it so hard that all the breath left the King of Lankapura’s (Ceylon or Sri Lanka) body, and he died. You will get much pleasure from reading the Ramayana and tracking the whole adventure. There is lot of evidence proofs that powerful Sinhalese King of Lankapura (Ceylon or Sri Lanka) Ravana has been lived in Trincomalee. Because the Sinhalese tradition has it that the wife of the mythical king of Lankapura, Ravana who was a devotee of both Lord Buddha & shiva, worshipped at the muhudu viharaya shrine Buddhist temple in Trincomalee Another proof is Discovery of Ravana's hsvamblingaya. It was originally found on a Tibetan mountain (thibbahian also Buddhist country from the Buddhist era) and later brought to Sri Lanka reportedly by the Sinhalese King Ravana. Moreover, in the Ramayana Epic period Ravana has used Veena as Ceylon Flag and according to the "Veena" Pictures on the Trincomalee Fort proofs that Ravana has dominated in Trincomalee. Also the seven Hot Wells ( Hot springs ) in Kannya(recently name kinniya) was made by the Sinhalese king ravana king Ravana.the community who were in rawana period name as helaya (recently name as Sinhalese) one more evidence to prove the king ravana was a Sinhalese after that period sri lanka named as helabima,,,,,,, even in mahabarathaya also mention that as a lanka pura is the capital and helabima is the country witch ravana’s kingdom

The brave Sinhalese King of Ceylon

It is said there were 11 Ravans found in Sinhalese history

It is said there were 11 Ravans found in Sinhalese history such as Nala Ravana, Manu ravana, Punu ravana and Dasis Ravana. The most famous Ravana is the king who fought with Indian hindu prince Rama. He is called Dasis Ravana which means the king with 10 great talents. The Dasis Ravana lived lived nearly 5000years ago in Sri Lanka. He was a descendant of Surya Wansha and Hela Raskshasa tribe. (Ancient Sinhalese tribe) He was one of the best fighters in Angampora, the traditional martial arts of ancient Sinhales. King Dasis Ravana was a great Scholar in Ayurvedic medicine. He was the person who invented Arka Shastra. The book Arka Prakshaya reveals this truth to the present world. As his willing to research in Ayurvedic medicine he wrote several books revealing the cures for many diseases. In one book he wrote "Eating beef cause to infect ninety eight new diseases to human beings. The book "Kumara Tantraya" which reveals the treatments for infant diseases was written by him accepting the request of his pregnant queen Mandodari. He has children and the eldest one was Indrajith also known as Meghanada who followed his father's steps. There are some hints in Sri Lankan rock inscriptions about the daughter of king Dasis Ravana.
King Ravana's kingdom was Lankapura. The kingdom is almost disappeared today. But If you keen on Sri Lankan folklore and ola manuscripts there you can find some remaining sites of Lankapura today known as Seegiriya and Trincomalee.
King Ravana invented the bow of Violin. He also narrated very first Ragas, the musical compositions of Eastern classical music known as Lanka Dehena and Sinhala. Siva thandawa is one of the great devotional compositions done by him, which is still being in use in India.
He was the first king flew over the world with his aero plane, known as Dandumonaraya or Vimanaya, Kashtawahana.
Some evidence of Dandumonaraya the aeroplane is found in Rock inscriptions, Jataka Stories and Ola manuscripts. The Sinhalese folk stories are enriched with Ravana Stories.
King Ravana was continuing a vegan oriented life style and was a real nature lover. According to Lankavatara sutta he was Buddhist and worshipped Kashyapa Buddha. Once he invited Kashyapa Buddha to visit Lanka and deliver his sermon to Sri Lankan citizens who practice yoga and follow Buddhism.
Today the time has changed and many of us do not know the real history of king Ravana and throw our folk tales away without considering any valuable parts of them. King Ravana was one of the best emperors found in Sri Lankan History.
There are more than 300 Sinhalese village names related to king Ravana era. In addition, there are some more places and remains in which the Rama Ravana war took place in Sri Lanka.
Information that we have available today of King Ravana (also spelled Rawana) seems to consist of a combination of historical fact, hero/anti-hero fiction and mythological lessons.
Most sources agree that he reigned on the island that is now known as Sri Lanka, even though "Lanka" (or Lankapuri) was portrayed as a demon kingdom and Ravana as a demon ("rakshasa") king. He is said to have obtained his rule by wresting it from his half-brother Kubera, the true and first ruler of Sri Lanka.
Ravana's parents were reportedly King Visravasmuni (or Visrawasa) and his second wife Kesini (or Kaikasi or Kaikesi). Almost all sources agree that Ravana was a devotee of Shiva who named him Ravana, whereas his original name was Dashanan (or Dasagriva). Some sources claim thatRavana was a Tamil.
Ravana's father was also reported to be a Brahmin sage called Vishrava, which makes him a Brahmin, and because of his penance and devotion to the god Brahma, he was granted a boon: it was impossible for anything to kill him, except man.
He seems to have lived about 5000 years ago and is credited by some sources with building a temple in honour of his parents that is still standing today. It is called the Isurumuniya. Other sources say that the temple was built by King Devenampiyatissa. The existence of this temple, among other factors, is proffered as evidence that Ravana was a real person and not just a mythological figure.
It is interesting to discover that most of the historic texts that mention Ravana are Indian (Hindu), not Sri Lankan. The most well-known is the Ramayana, an epic poem of 24,000 couplets in seven books, which tells the tale of how Ravana abducted king Rama's wife Sita, which led to a protracted war in which Ravana was eventually defeated by Rama with the help of the monkey king and the monkey general. The Hindu feast of Dussehra celebrates the death of Ravana, or more accurately, the victory of good over evil, while Divali (Diwali, the festival of lights) is said to celebrate the victorious homecoming of Rama and Sita.
There are a number of depictions of Ravana, most showing him either with 20 arms or with 10 heads, or both, and often with blue skin. These attributes are all said to be representative and not literal - indicating mastery over knowledge and limitless greed.
One curiosity that most sources do not fail to mention, is the flying chariot, the Pushpaka Vimana, which Ravana stole from his brother. It is described as "that aerial and excellent chariot going everywhere at will". This is not the same as the horse-drawn chariots described in earlier texts, but seems to depict a flying machine - whether this was real or wishful thinking remains an unresolved question.
Although Ravana is best-known as the evil demon who dared to abduct the most beautiful woman in India, he is also honoured as the man who finally united all of the tribes in Sri Lanka into one nation, was apparently an accomplished musician, and a skilful physician. If nothing else, the story of Ravana and Rama illustrates that most men is never pure evil, but usually have some good in them.

Demon king Ravana with two wives (Thai Ramayana mural)

The demon king Ravana sits on a palace platform with two of his wives, as seen on a mural at the Emerald Buddha Temple. Ravana has one arm around each wife’s neck. The wives both have their right hands held to their faces, as if in grief. Another demon, perhaps a relative or a courtier, kneels on a tiled floor at the base of their royal platform.
Ravana has many wives, but when his sister tells him of Sita’s unparalleled beauty, he feels he must have Sita too. Here his wives appear unhappy to hear the news of Ravana’s fascination with Sita, Rama’s wife.
Note that in Thai temple paintings, the demon king Ravana has dark green (or blue) skin much like Rama. Rama’s facial features, however, are much more delicate and refined, while demons often are portrayed with bulging eyes and visible fangs. Ravana’s two wives shown here, however, appear as normal beautiful women with fair skin and no obvious demon features. Ravana, his wives, and the second demon man all wear Siamese style royal clothes and tall golden crowns.

In this Emerald Buddha Temple mural scene, the demon king Ravana instructs his niece to imitate Sita’s appearance and behavior. Ravana speaks and gestures his instructions from a high palace veranda to his young and beautiful niece who sits respectfully on the tile floor below him with her hands in prayer position. Ravana and his niece both wear Siamese royal clothes, gold jewelry, and tall crowns.
Ravana ignores the advice to return Sita given by both the wise hermit and his own brother the astrologer. Instead Ravana devises a plan to deceive Rama into thinking that Sita is dead so Rama will stop looking for her. Ravana intends to employ his niece as a double of Sita to try to fool Rama.

Sita is approached and then abducted by the demon king Ravana as shown in two adjacent images on a mural at the Emerald Buddha Temple.
On the left, Ravana tries to trick Sita by posing as a gentle hermit. On the right, Ravana is shown as himself, in demon form, carrying her away by force when she does not leave willingly with the hermit. Note that the wall with an open gate that surrounds Sita’s pavillion serves as the visual border between the two chronological scenes in which Sita appears.
Rama and Laksman are not there to protect Sita because Sita sent Rama to the forest to capture a golden deer, which was really a demon sent to draw Rama away from Sita. Laksman also left Sita alone because a demon pretended he was Rama in the forest calling for Laksman’s help.In this mural detail at the Emerald Buddha Temple, the demon king Ravana has his dream interpreted by his younger brother Bhibek, the royal astrologer. Ravana is shown here seated on a raised cushion in golden attire, waving his ten arms, while his brother sits on a small carpet at Ravana’s feet.Ravana was furious to have his city of Lankaburned by Hanuman, but now he is troubled by a strange dream. In the dream, a white vulture from the east attacks and kills a black vulture from the west. The black vulture falls to the ground by a demon with an oil lamp. The demon is burned to ashes.Ravana’s brother tells him that the white vulture is Rama and the black vulture is Ravana. He says the dream means that Rama will destroy Ravana and his demon city if Sita is not returned. Hearing the dream’s interpretation, Ravana only becomes more angry and determined to keep Sita for himsel