Ravanolbhavam (The Origin of Ravana) is a

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

play( Aattakatha) authored by Kallekulangara Raghava Pisharodi in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

. Based on the

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 ...

, it narrates the story surrounding the origin of

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 ...

and his rise to power following his penance to

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

. A major part of the play involves the arrogant Ravana enacting the tale of how, by means of a severe penance, he came in possession of boons from Brahma.{{Cite news, last=K, first=Achuthan T., date=2021-02-09, title=Pristine and powerful recital of ‘Ravanolbhavam’, language=en-IN, work=The Hindu, url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/pristine-and-powerful-recital-of-ravanolbhavam/article33791000.ece, access-date=2021-08-30, issn=0971-751X

References

Kathakali Indian plays Malayalam-language literature