The Guardian Angel of the City stopped him

Lankini was a powerful

Rakshasi 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 when ...

from the ancient Hindu epic ''

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 e ...

''. Her name literally means "The woman of Lanka" as she was the female personification of the city itself and was the guardian to the doors of Lanka.

Brahma's curse

According to the

, Lankini was once the guardian of the abode of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

. As she guarded the home of the creator, Brahma, she became arrogant and prideful about her position. She treated others in the palace with contempt due to which she was cursed by Brahma to guard the city of

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 ...

s forever. Lankini realised her mistake and begged for forgiveness. However, it was not possible for Brahma to take back the curse, and instead gave her a boon that she would be freed of the curse only when a

vanara In Hindu, Vanara ( sa, वानर, , forest-dwellers) are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human- ...

defeated her in combat, and thus bring to end the age of rakshasas.

Encounter with Hanuman

In the ''

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 ...

encounters Lankini at the gates of Lanka when he was appointed the task of searching for

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, '' Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi ...

. When accosted by Lankini and asked about his identity and purpose of visit,

not wanting to reveal his mission, cleverly replies that he has come from the forest desiring to see the famed city of Lanka and its beauty. However, Lankini realises that he is an intruder and attacks him. Mindful of the fact that she is a woman,

softly strikes her back just enough to make her fall and bleed. A dazed and confused Lankini immediately realises her opponent was no mere monkey and asks for forgiveness, knowing that Brahma's prophecy has come true. Hanuman forgives her as he prepares to continue his quest into Lanka, leaving Lankini behind, who is now free of the curse.

References

{{Hindu Culture and Epics Hindu goddesses Rakshasa in the Ramayana