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.