In some versions of the
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
such as the
Krittivasi Ramayana, Ahiravan, also called Mahiravana, is a
rakshasa
Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...
(demon) ruler of
Patala
In Indian religions, Patala (Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as un ...
. He is variously described as either an ally or a brother of the rakshasa king
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...
. In Thai tradition, he is called Maiyarap.
Ahiravan secretly carried away
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
and his brother
Lakshmana
Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja () ...
to the nether-world, consulted his friends, and decided to sacrifice the life of the two divine brothers at the altar of his chosen deity, goddess
Mahamaya. However,
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
saved their lives by decapitating Mahiravana, and destroying his army.
Popular culture
The ''Mairavan charitra'' was written in
Telugu in
Kavya style in the 16th century by Adithya kavi.
The story of Mahiravana was made into a Telugu film in 1940 by Ghantasala Balaramaiah entitled ''
Mahiravana''. The veteran actor
Vemuri Gaggaiah played the role of Mahiravana.
Mahiravana 1940 film at IMDb.
/ref> The legend was also featured in the 2018 animated film ''Hanuman vs Mahiravana
''Hanuman vs Mahiravana'' is a 2018 Indian epic adventure 2D and 3D stereoscopic animated film, made by Gamaya Inc, produced by Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd and distributed by Yash Raj Films. Written by Narayanan Vaidyanathan and directed by D ...
'', released in Hindi and Tamil.
See also
* Adbhuta Ramayana
''Adbhuta Ramayana'' is a '' Śāktaḥ'' Sanskrit work traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki. It is considerably more obscure than both the ''Valmiki Ramayana''—generally considered the original version—as well as Tulsidas’ Awadhi ve ...
References
{{Commons category, Ahiravan
Rakshasa in the Ramayana