Ravana : Myths, Legends and Lore

Contents: Preface. Glory of Ravana: i. The death of Ravana/Rupendra Guha Mazumdar and Karabi M.G. Majumdar. ii. Come unto me, Janaki. iii. Siva-Tandava-Stotram Ravana - composed Hymn to the Berserk Dance of Siva/Chandra B. Varma. iv. Raksha Kumar/Prashanta Goswami. v. The bridge construction/Uttam Borthakur and Prashanta Goswami. 1. Ravana, the King of Lanka/Tulasi Ramachandra. 2. Ravana in Kandali\'s Assamese Ramayana and Tulsi\'s Ramcharit Manas/Indira Goswami. 3. Lanka/Masti Venkatesha Iyengar. 4. Ravana/Masti Venkatesha Iyengar. 5. Ravana in Krittibasa\'s Ramayana/Mukti Choudhury. 6. Dasakantha (Ravana) in the Ramakien: Villain or Tragic Hero?/Srisurang Poolthupya. 7. Bhili Ravana (Ior) \'The Ego Incarnate\'/Bharati Jhaveri. 8. Ravana/Srinivasa Sastry. 9. Ravana: the mighty King of Lanka/Shanti Lal Nagar. 10. Ravana\'s Navel and the paradox of Dismemberment in illustrations of the Ramayana/Rupendra Guha Mazumdar. 11. Ravana: the most learned yet unwise/Achal Malhotra. 12. Historicizing myths! \'Sites of Ramayana in Sri Lanka\'/Manjeet Baruah.

"Ravana is one of the most fascinating characters in the epic traditions of the world. His uniqueness comes from the tact that he is not merely  a villain but also a highly accomplished character in arts and learning. Ravana\'s accomplishments make him a most distinct villain in the epic traditions of the world. The different essays that are brought together in this volume bring out this greatness in the character of Ravana. The essays also show how the tradition of Ramayana exists in different forms and with different meanings in various parts of South Asia and South East Asia. But the one constant feature in all these traditions, as the essays show, is the nature of accomplishment that is associated with the character of Ravana. The essays in this volume consist of lectures, commentaries and research works that have been carried out especially since 20 century till the present times. The essays also remind us of the fact that analysis of the Ramayana would remain incomplete without considering the role of Ravana in making possible the subtlety and grandeur that the epic is infused with." (jacket)