12 surprising things you didn’t know about Ravana

Dusshera is here and you all will be geared up to burn the most dangerous man of Indian mythology- Ravana. Sadly, there only a few who know Ravana’s side of story, so I bring to you the 12 things you probably don’t know about Ravana.

And this time, when you see him burning, you might have a different opinion.

1) Ramayana has more than 300 versions.
This might not be directly relevant to Ravana but every version tells you a different story. And in every story, Ravana isn’t the bad guy.

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2) According to Jain Version of Ramayana, he was the father of Sita
Yes, you heard me right! Go Google it, right away!

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3) He kidnapped Sita for a reason
He kidnapped Sita because he didn’t want her to suffer in the forest without any fault of hers. He wanted her to be safe in his palace till the time Ram completed his exile.
(According to some versions of Ramayana)

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4) He sacrificed himself for Sita

Since the war was inevitable, he decided to sacrifice his life because he didn’t want Sita to live the rest of her life as a Widow. Think about it, how could such a powerful man with such a powerful army not defeat 2 men and their army of monkeys?  (According to some versions of Ramayana)

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5) Lanka was initially inherited by Ravana’s step brother- Kubera, the money god.
But he didn’t let Ravana and his family stay there, even though they had all the rights. Ravana grew up and defeated Kubera and took over Lanka

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6) His ten heads symbolize his immense intelligence
One man with the power of ten brains. That’s what you call intelligence.

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7) He was a very talented musician
He created the Rudra Veena, an Indian classical instrument

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8) Owner of one of the first Aircrafts!
Ravana always appreciated talent and had some of the best mechanics and scientists, who built one of the first aircrafts of not only India but of the world!

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9) Extremely handsome
What Television shows and films show you- is an exaggerated and horrific version of Ravana. On the contrary, he was known to be very handsome.

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10) He didn’t believe in Caste system
He treated everybody equally, unlike the Hindu caste system.

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11) A true man!
Many say that Hanuman’s monkey army misbehaved with Ravana’s wife, Mandodari, but he didn’t take a second to accept her with dignity.

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12) There is a Ravana temple in Kanpur which opens once a year, on the morning of Dusshera
Nearly 20,000 people visit this temple on the occasion Dusshera.

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