In maternal home, ‘pampered’ Ravan gets his own Ramlila, shobha yatra

Rajeev.Mani
Prayagraj: The villain as a hero isn’t just the stuff of novels and film noir. Ravan, the archetypal bad man of Hindu mythology, ironically hogs the limelight in Lord Ram’s celebration of victory over evil in Prayagraj’s Katra.
First-time visitors to Katra’s annual Ramlila are surprised, if not shocked, to see the event is a nod to Ravan’s origins rather than the greatness of Ram, who vanquishes the demon king of Lanka. Be it the procession taken out in his name or the Ramlila organised in the locality, Katra leans towards Ravan because legend has it the place was his nanihal (maternal home).
In the Ramayan, sage Bharadwaj marries off his daughter Ilavila to fellow hermit Vishrava. The couple’s son Kuber, the Hindu god of wealth, goes on to become the original ruler of Lanka. Later, Vishrava marries asura Sumali’s daughter Kaikesi, with whom he has four children, the eldest being Ravan.