Rabana Chhaya is a form of shadow puppetry from the eastern Indian state of Odisha .
52-688: Rabana Chhaya literally means 'the shadow of Ravana ' and is named after the eponymous evil king of the Hindu epic Ramayana . The lyrics for the performance are taken from the Bichitra Ramayana by the Odia poet Biswanatha Khuntia . That it has been named after the villain of the Ramayana. Alternately it has been suggested that it was not named after Rama as he is an incarnation of the god Vishnu and it would have been inauspicious to refer to him as
104-462: A few of his maternal uncles, were generals in the Lanka army. Kaikesi 's father, Sumali and uncle, Malyavan were instrumental in making Ravana the king of Lanka by advising him to receive boons from Brahma, defeat Kubera, and establish rakshasa rule in the three worlds . Ravana's granduncle was Malyavan , who opposed the war with Rama and Lakshmana. He also had another granduncle named Mali who
156-522: A later date to explain an earlier scripture or sutra . For example, Yutang Lin says that a text written by him and not given by Buddha, cannot be called a "Sutra"; it is called a "Sastra". In Buddhism, Buddhists are allowed to offer their theses as long as they are consistent with the Sutras, and those are called "Sastras." In Jainism , the term means the same as in Hinduism . An example of Jaina Shastra
208-531: A modern setting. Author Amish Tripathi 's 2019 novel Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta chronicles the life of Ravana until the time he kidnaps Sita . It is the third book in Tripathi's Ram Chandra Series. Shastra Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas Shastra ( Sanskrit : शास्त्र , romanized : Śāstra pronounced [ɕaːstrɐ] )
260-471: A saraswat Brahmin as per his lineage. There has also been reference to "Ravani", the lineage of Upadhyaya Yasastrata II, who was of the Gautama gotra and Acharya Vasudatta's son, and described as "born of Ravani". The Gondi people of central India claim to be descendants of Ravana, and have temples for him, his wife Mandodari, and their son Meghnad. They also state that Ravana was an ancient Gond king,
312-614: A shadow. Puppets used in Rabana Chhaya are made of deerskin , range from 6 inches to 2 feet in height and are mounted on bamboo poles. A complete performance requires as many as 700 puppets with multiple puppets being used to depict a diversity of moods for individual characters. Besides these puppets, there are others that set the background and the stock characters of the village barber and his grandson. The puppets are not coloured, have no joints and have perforations that outline their figures and costumes. The puppeteer manipulates
364-623: A thousand years, the imprisoned Ravana sang Shiva Tandava Stotra , a hymn in praise of Shiva, who finally blessed him and granted him an invincible sword and a powerful linga (Shiva's iconic symbol, Atmalinga) to worship. But this incident has little to no evidence in Valmiki Ramayana. Ravana's parents were the sage Vishrava (son of Pulastya ) and Kaikesi (daughter of Sumali and Ketumati ). Ravana had seventeen maternal uncles and three maternal aunts. Dhumraksha , Prahastha , Akampana , Vajramushti , Suparshwa and Virupaksha ,
416-419: A type of literary composition distinct from Shastra. In Sanskrit, "sutra" typically referred to one or more aphorisms ; hence sutras use short, aphoristic, evocative statements. In contrast, a Shastra is typically longer, with more detail and explanations. An example of a Sutra is Patanjali 's Yogasutras (considered a classic Hindu treatise), while an example of Shastra is Hemachandra 's Yogasastra (considered
468-435: Is Sanskrit for "loud roaring." In Abhinava Gupta's Krama Shaiva scripture, yāsām rāvanam is used as an expression to mean people who are truly aware of the materialism of their environment. Ravana has many other popular names such as Dasis Ravana, Dasis Sakvithi Maha Ravana, Dashaanan, Ravula, Lankapati, Lankeshwar, Lankeshwaran, Ravanasura and Ravanaeshwaran. Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads, although he
520-532: Is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the Indian literature context, for technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice. Shastra has a similar meaning to English -logy , e.g. ecology, psychology , meaning scientific and basic knowledge on a particular subject. Examples in terms of modern neologisms include In Western literature, Shastra
572-575: Is a demon -king of the island of Lanka and the chief antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana . In the Ramayana , Ravana is described as the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Kaikasi . He abducted Rama 's wife, Sita , and took her to his kingdom of Lanka , where he held her in the Ashoka Vatika . Rama, with the support of vanara King Sugriva and his army of vanaras, launched a rescue operation for Sita against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana
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#1732798068839624-576: Is after about 500 BCE. However, it is unclear when various Shastras were composed and completed. The authenticity of the manuscripts is also unclear, as many versions of the same text exist, some with major differences. Patrick Olivelle , credited with a 2005 translation of Manu Dharma-sastra, published by the Oxford University Press, states the concerns in postmodern scholarship about the presumed authenticity and reliability of manuscripts as follows (abridged): The MDh ( Manusmriti )
676-451: Is depicted as one of Vishnu 's cursed doorkeepers. The word Rāvaṇa ( Sanskrit : रावण) means "Roaring" (active), the opposite of Vaiśravaṇa which means to "hear distinctly" (passive). Both Ravana and Vaiśravaṇa, who is commonly known as Kubera , are considered to be patronymics derived from "sons of Vishrava ". Ravana was a title later taken on by Dashānana, and it means "the one with ten (dasha) faces (anana)". Further, roravana
728-505: Is depicted with green skin. In the Karandavyuha Sutra , Yama asks if the visitor in hell (Avalokitesvara), whom he hasn't seen yet, is a god or a demon, and whether he is Vishnu, Mahesvara , or the rakshasa Ravana. Jain accounts vary from the traditional Hindu accounts of the Ramayana. The incidents are placed at the time of the 20th Tirthankara , Munisuvrata . In Jainism, both Rama and Ravana were devout Jains. Ravana
780-551: Is found in other Upanishads as well as in Bhagavad Gita such as in verses 15.20, 16.23–16.24, and 17.1. The Ṛigvedaprātiśākhya (11.36; 14.30) uses the term Shastra to refer to the prātiśākhya tradition. Kātyāyana , Patañjali and Pāṇini 's Aṣṭādhyāyī use the term. Similarly, the Vedāṅgajyotiṣa uses the term to refer to astronomical treatises. The term vedāṅgaśāstrāṇām , refers to
832-414: Is regarded to have once caught sight of the apsara Rambha and was filled with lust. Even as the apsara resisted his advances by asserting that she was his daughter-in-law, he raped her. When she reported this to her husband, Nalakuvara , he cursed Ravana to be unable to cause violence to any woman who did not consent to being with him, his head splitting into a number of pieces if he did so. This incident
884-707: Is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly thanks to a celestial boon from Brahma . In the War with Lord Rama, Ravana was killed by a powerful Brahma's weapon shot by Rama which was gifted to Rama by Sage Agstya. Ravana was born to the Brahmin sage Vishrava and the Rakshasa princess Kaikasi in Treta Yuga . Villagers from Bisrakh in Uttar Pradesh claim that Bisrakh
936-631: Is sometimes shown with only nine heads since he cut one off to convince Shiva. He is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler, and a maestro of the Veena . Ravana is also depicted as the author of the Ravana Samhita , a book on Hindu astrology , and the Arka Prakasham , a book on Siddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Siddha and political science . In some later versions, he
988-513: Is sometimes spelled as Sastra , reflecting a misunderstanding of the IAST symbol 'ś', which corresponds to the English 'sh'. The word Śāstra literally means "that which has been instructed/decreed", from the root √śās- which means "instruction/decree" combined with the ṣṭran-suffix . "Shastra" commonly refers to a treatise or text on a specific field of knowledge. In early Vedic literature,
1040-546: Is stated to explain why Ravana could not force the abducted Sita to submit to his desire. Ravana is worshipped as one of Shiva's most revered followers, and he is even worshipped in some Shiva temples. Ravana is worshipped by the Kanyakubja Brahmins of the Vidisha region, who see him as a savior and a sign of prosperity, claiming Ravana was also a Kanyakubja Brahmin. Thousands of Kanyakubja Brahmins of
1092-469: Is the 12th-century Yoga Shastra of Hemchandracharya . Shastra is sometimes the root of compounded Sanskrit words. A custodian of Shastra , for example, is called Shastradhari ( Sanskrit : शास्त्रधारी). The term is found in several passages of the Rigveda (2nd millennium BCE), such as in hymn VIII.33.16. नहि षस्तव नो मम शास्त्रे अन्यस्य रण्यति । यो अस्मान्वीर आनयत् ॥१६॥ In this Rigvedic verse,
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#17327980688391144-496: The śāstra of the Vedāṅga s. The term " śāstra " is found in Yaska 's Nirukta (1.2, 14), where the reference is to Nirukta (etymology). An early use of the term śāstra with reference to the literature on dharma is found in the vārttika of Kātyāyana , who uses the expression dharmaśāstra Shastras are predominantly post-Vedic literature, that
1196-597: The ravanahatha , an ancient bowed string instrument , was created by Ravana and is still used as a Rajasthani folk instrument. In the Rin-spuns-pa Tibetan Ramayana, it is prophesied that Ravana will return as the Buddha incarnation of Vishnu in Kali Yuga. The Arunachal Pradesh Tai Khamti Ramayana (Phra Chow Lamang) shows Rama as a Bodhisattva who was reborn so Ravana could torture him. In
1248-848: The Bhagavata Purana , Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna are said to be reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya , gatekeepers at Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu ), and were cursed to be born on Earth for their insolence. These gatekeepers refused entry to the Sanatha Kumara monks who, because of their powers and austerity, appeared as young children. For their insolence, the monks cursed them to be expelled from Vaikuntha and to be born on Earth. Vishnu agreed that they should be punished and gave them two options. First, that they could be born seven times as normal mortals and devotees of Vishnu, or be born three times as strong and powerful beings, but as enemies of Vishnu. Eager to be back with
1300-476: The Bhata community and the singing is accompanied by musical instruments including ramatali ( castanets ), kabuji ( cymbals ) and the khanjani , a kind of tambourine. The dialogues and the songs in the performance are accompanied by lively, rhythmic music that combines elements of folk and classical Odissi music . Performances have little by way of dance or fight sequences, the action being limited by
1352-600: The Javanese puppet theatre of Wayang has its origins in the Rabana Chhaya. In recent years it has seen changes in both content and performances with contemporary social and health issues also forming the themes of the performances. A rare art form, efforts have been made under the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts , Delhi to revive and promote it. Ravana Traditional Ravana
1404-639: The Laotian Buddhist text Phra Lak Phra Lam , Rama is a Bodhisattva and the embodiment of virtues, while Ravana is a Brahmin (" mahabrahma ") son of Virulaha who is highly materialistic. In the Cambodian Buddhist text Preah Ream , Buddha is an incarnation of Rama and Ravana is a rakshasa. In the Thai Buddhist text Ramakien , Ravana is a rakshasa known as "Thotsakan" (ทศกัณฐ์, from Sanskrit दशकण्ठ, Daśakaṇṭha, "ten necks"), and
1456-519: The Lord, they chose the latter option. The curse of the first birth was fulfilled by Hiranyakashipu and his brother Hiranyaksha in Satya Yuga , when they were both vanquished by earlier avatars of Vishnu (Hiranyaksha by Varaha , and Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha ). Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna were born to fulfill the curse in their second birth as enemies of Vishnu in Treta Yuga . The curse of
1508-486: The authenticity of Kulluka's text was openly articulated by Burnell (1884, xxix): "There is then no doubt that the textus receptus, viz., that of Kulluka Bhatta, as adopted in India and by European scholars, is very near on the whole to the original text." This is far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow
1560-476: The jointless nature of the puppets, but the dramatic effect is elevated by the use of poetic language, music and the religious themes narrated. A full performance takes an entire week with a night each for each of the seven kandas of the Ramayana but in recent years performances have been shortened to only a few hours duration. Puppet theatre in South East Asia is thought to have emerged from India and
1612-471: The most popular images of Shiva is called "Ravananugraha", which was popular in the Gupta era . It depicts Ravana beneath Mount Kailash playing a veena made out of his head and hands, and strings made out of his tendons, while Shiva and Parvati sit on top of the mountain. According to scriptures, Ravana once tried to lift Mount Kailash, but Shiva pushed the mountain into place and trapped Ravana beneath it. For
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1664-590: The most powerful being in the mortal world, so as to produce an exceptional heir. He rejected the kings of the world, as they were less powerful than him. Kaikasi searched among the sages and finally chose Vishrava, the father of Kubera. Ravana and his siblings were born to the couple and they completed their education from their father, with Ravana being a great scholar of the Vedas. Ravana and his two brothers, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana , performed penance on Mount Gokarna for 10,000 years and won boons from Brahma. Ravana
1716-689: The priest of the Asuras, as his minister, and in other accounts, Brihaspati , the priest of the Devas. One account narrates how Ravana ordered Brihaspati to recite the Chandi stava (mantras of Chandi), more specifically the Devi Mahatmya, in order to stave off defeat. According to the Krttivasa text, Ravana arranged for a peaceful yajna , and invited Brihaspati to start the recitation of Chandi. In
1768-404: The primary antagonist in films and television series based on the Ramayana . Movies like Bhakta Ravana (1938) and its Telugu ( 1940 and 1958 ) and Kannada ( 1958 ) adaptations as well as television series Raavan (2006-2008) are focused on the tale on Ravana. The Tamil film Raavanan (2010) and its Hindi counterpart Raavan (2010) narrate the epic from Ravana's perspective in
1820-490: The puppets using a split bamboo stick that runs down the middle of the puppet. The puppeteers magnify the shadows by holding the puppets away from the screen. These puppets are treated ceremonially, being blessed before they are first used and are cremated and the ashes strewn in a river when they become worn out and unusable. Another feature of the puppets is that the puppet form of Rabana is much larger than that of Rama with greater dramatic impact and casts an impressive shadow on
1872-420: The same time recognising the need to account for likely failings. The shastras do not present life as it was lived. Rather they reveal an idea of what life should be. The shastra texts constitute one of the great bodies of literature of the ancient world. Sutras are another genre of Indian texts that emerged in the 1st millennium BCE, particularly after the 600 BCE. Sutra (literally "binding thread") denotes
1924-428: The screen. Rabana Chhaya performances are held at night, the shadow of the puppets being projected onto a white curtain against the light of an oil lamp. The performance begins with the breaking of a coconut and with invocations to the Hindu gods Rama and Ganesha . The story of the performance is narrated in prose by a narrator, called gayak, who is accompanied by two singers. The performers traditionally belong to
1976-482: The tenth dharmaguru of their tribe, and the eighteenth lingo (divine teacher). Annually on Dussehra , the Gondis from the village of Paraswadi carry an image of Ravana riding on an elephant in a procession. The following temples in India are for Ravana as a Shiva Bhakta. Effigies of Ravana are burned on Vijayadashami in many places throughout India to symbolize Rama's triumph over evil. According to mythology,
2028-439: The term means rule or instruction. The Maitri Upanishad (mid to late 1st millennium BCE), similarly, mentions the materialist Charvakas and Brihaspati who disagreed that the Vedas are a treatise of knowledge, proposing relativism instead, in the following passage: बृहस्पतिर्वै शुक्रो भूत्वेन्द्रस्याभयायासुरेभ्यः क्षयायेमामविद्यामसृजत् तया शिवमशिवमित्युद्दिशन्त्यशिवं शिवमिति वेदादि शास्त्र हिंसकधर्माभिध्यानमस्त्विति The term
2080-506: The third birth was fulfilled by Dantavakra and Shishupala in the Dvapara Yuga , when they both were slain by Krishna , the eighth avatar. Ravana had fought with the demons named Nivatakavacha along with his army for an entire year but was unable to kill them due to Brahma's boon. The war was stopped by Brahma and Ravana formed an alliance with them, he learnt several magical tricks or maya from those demons. Ravana had defeated
2132-445: The vanara warriors namely Hanuman, Sugriva, Neela and even Rama's brother Lakshmana twice during his war with Rama. As per the original six books of Valmiki Ramayana, only lord Rama the incarnation of Vishnu defeated Ravana and killed him after several days of single duel. Once, upon hearing a discourse from Sage Sanatkumara , Ravana attempted to invade Vaikuntha . Only Ravana managed to enter Vaikuntha's capital, Shwetadwipa, where he
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2184-504: The various Shastras, Manu's code of law has been among the most studied as the colonial British government attempted to establish different laws in British India based on Sharia for Muslims and Manu's code of law. The shastras are not consistent or single-consensus documents. Dharma-sastras, for example, contain opposing views and contradictory theories. This is in part because they represent an ideal of human behaviour, while at
2236-801: The village Ravangram of Netaran, in the Vidisha District of Madhya Pradesh , perform daily puja in the Ravana temple and offer naivedyam or bhog (a ritual of sacrifice to the gods). King Shiv Shankar built a Ravana temple in Kanpur , Uttar Pradesh . The Ravana temple is open once a year, on the day of Dashera , to perform puja for the welfare of Ravana. Ravana is also worshipped by Hindus of Bisrakh , who claim their town to be his birthplace. The Sachora Brahmins of Gujarat claim to be descendants of Ravana, and sometimes have "Ravan" as their surnames. Saraswat Brahmins from Mathura claim Ravana as
2288-402: The vulgate in key readings. The literature of late 1st millennium BCE such as Arthashastra , and Shastras of various fields of knowledge from the early 1st millennium period is of great interest as it helped the emergence of diverse schools and the spread of Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism in and outside South Asia . The shastras are both descriptive and prescriptive. Among
2340-420: The word referred to any precept, rule, teaching, ritual instruction or direction. In late and post Vedic literature of Hinduism , Shastra referred to any treatise, book or instrument of teaching, any manual or compendium on any subject in any field of knowledge, including religious. It is often a suffix, added to the subject of the treatise, such as In Buddhism , a "shastra" is often a commentary written at
2392-472: Was a Vidyadhara king who had magical powers, and Lakshmana, not Rama, was the one who ultimately killed Ravana. Pulavar Kuzhanthai 's Ravana Kaaviyam is a panegyric on Ravana that is made up of 3,100 poetic stanzas in which Ravana is the hero. The book was released in 1946, and was subsequently banned by India's Congress led government. The ban was later lifted in 1971. Sri Lanka named its first satellite Raavana 1 after Ravana. Ravana appears as
2444-450: Was blessed with a boon that would make him invincible to all the creations of Brahma, except for humans. He also received weapons, a chariot, as well as the ability to shapeshift from Brahma. According to the Ramayana , demigods approached Brahma since Ravana was causing harm on Earth. Lord Vishnu appeared and gave blessings that he will incarnate as a human (Rama) and kill Ravana since his invincibility boon did not include humans. One of
2496-552: Was hopelessly outmatched by the inhabitants and was forced to retreat. He killed Anaranya, the king of Ayodhya , although he cursed Ravana to be slain by Rama. Ravana had wrestled his brother Kubera and vanquished him for the Pushpaka Vimana . He also fought Marutta (Chakravarti King of Ushiraviga), Gadhi ( Vishwamitra 's father), Dushyanta ( Bharata 's father), Suratha (King of Vidarbha ), Gaya (Chakravarti king of Dharmaranya), and Paurava (King of Anga ). Ravana
2548-417: Was killed by Vishnu . Ravana had 2 full brothers, 8 half brothers, 1 full sister and 3 half sisters. Ravana had three wives, Mandodari , the daughter of the celestial architect Maya , Dhanyamalini, and a third wife. His sons from his three wives were Meghanada , Atikaya , Akshayakumara , Narantaka , Devantaka , Trishira , and Prahasta . In some accounts, Ravana is said to have had Shukracharya ,
2600-561: Was named after Vishrava, and that Ravana was born there. Ravana's paternal grandfather, the sage Pulastya , was one of the ten Prajapatis , or mind-born sons of Brahma , and one of the Saptarishi (seven great sages) in the first Manvantara (age of Manu ). His maternal grandfather was Sumali (or Sumalaya), the king of the Rakshasas and the son of Sukesha. Sumali had ten sons and four daughters. Sumali wished for Kaikasi to marry
2652-731: Was subsequently slain, and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita. Ravana was well-versed in the six shastras and the four Vedas , including the Shiva Tandava Stotra . Ravana is also considered to be the most revered devotee of Shiva . Images of Ravana are often seen associated with Shiva at temples. He also appears in the Buddhist Mahayana text Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra , in Buddhist Jatakas , as well as in Jain Ramayanas . In Vaishnava scriptures , he
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#17327980688392704-513: Was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794. (...) All the editions of the MDh , except for Jolly's, reproduce the text as found in the [Calcutta] manuscript containing the commentary of Kulluka. I have called this as the " vulgate version". It was Kulluka's version that has been translated repeatedly: Jones (1794), Burnell (1884), Buhler (1886) and Doniger (1991). (...) The belief in
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