Macchanu (Sanskrit: मकरध्वज:), (; ); (; ) is the son of

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

that appears in the Khmer version of the story and other

versions of the Ramayana Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Indian Hindu epic poem, the ''Ramayana'', are known to exist. The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the Padma Purana - ...

. As per these versions of

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, during one of the battles with

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

's army, Hanuman encounters one powerful opponent, who looked like

vanara In Hinduism, Vanara () 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-like beings. Etymology There ...

from waist-up but had tail of a fish. After a fierce battle, as Hanuman was about to hit the creature with his weapons, a golden star shining in the sky above, reveals by way of aakashwani that the enemy, whom he is going to harm is his own son born by his union with Sovann Maccha, the

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

daughter of Ravana. Hanuman, immediately holds his weapons in mid-air and father-son duo recognize each other. Another version of story tells, while following Maiyarab in order to find

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and Laxmana, who have been abducted by Maiyarab and taken to his kingdom in netherworld, Hanuman reaches a pond, where he encounters Macchanu. The fight between them is indecisive, therefore, Hanuman is surprised and asks his opponent, who is he. Macchanu introduces himself as son of Hanuman and Sovann Maccha and so they finally identify and embrace each other. He tells Hanuman that Maiyarab is his foster father, who had picked him up lying on sea shore, where his mother had left him. Although, he does not want to betray Maiyarab but tells Hanuman through a riddle the entrance to the netherworld lies inside the lotus in the pond he was guarding.

References

{{Reflist Vanara in the Ramayana Hanuman Animals in religion

See also

References