Sulochana () is a character featured in Hindu literature. She is the daughter of the king of the serpents,

Shesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod ( Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the P ...

, and married to Meghanada (Indrajita), the eldest son of

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. ...

. Sulochana finds no mention in the

Valmiki Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

, and appears in later versions of the epic.

Literature

In versions of the Ramayana, following the death of her husband, Sulochana urged her father-in-law, Ravana, to obtain the former's head from

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 ...

, so that she could ritually perform the practice of

sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

. Ravana informed her that she would have to obtain her departed husband's head on her own. Despite the fears of his ministers that Sulochana would be imprisoned by Rama, Ravana gave her leave to go in person to the battlefield to make the request. Sulochana successfully received the head of Meghanada. In the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

Meghnad Bodh Kavya, Prameela is said to be Indrajit's wife. Prameela is regarded to be another name of Sulochana.

In popular culture

Her story has been the basis of many films, including ''Sati Sulochana'' (1921) directed by G.V. Sane. a silent film, followed by '' Sati Sulochana'', 1934

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

film was the first Kannada language talkie film, also ''Sati Sulochana (1961 film)'' in Telugu starring

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

. also in Hindi film 'Sati Naag Kanya' by Babubhai Mistri starring Vikram Gokhale and Jaishree Gadkar. ''The Ballad Of Sulochana'' is a favourite

of Marathi women, sung in most families. Noted

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

scholar S. K. Ramarajan wrote a noted

epyllion A sleeping Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus is the topic of an elaborate ecphrasis">Theseus.html" ;"title="Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus">Ariadne's abandonment by Theseus is the topic of an elaborate ecphrasis in Catullus 64, the most famous e ...

, ''Meganadham'', the tragedy of Indrajit, known for its characterisation of Indrajit's wife Sulochana. There is a prominent character named Sulochana Amavasya in the video game '' Cultist Simulator.'' Like the mythical Sulochana, this character is noted for her bright, alluring eyes and for her phlegmatic countenance.

References

External links

Valmiki Ramayana Book X. War in Ceylon (Lanka Kanda)
translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith (1870–1874) * Characters in the Ramayana {{DEFAULTSORT:Sulochana (Ramayana)