Above: Ravana the King of Lanka is depicted in all of his ten-headed glory.
Ravana, the Rakshasa (demon) king of the ancient land of Lanka, is the main antagonist of theRamayana. Gifted with the power of ten heads and invincibility against all things, except humans, Ravana follows his dharma of chaos by extending his power and disruptive influence across the lands. He uses his power to steal away Sita from Rama, so that he may seduce her with his wily ten-headed charm. Despite the allure of his heads, Sita rejects him, and Ravana must face Rama in a final show down. It is in that battle that Ravana is stuck down by Rama, who is a human and the only kind of being that can kill the King of Lanka. It is through all of this that Ravana can be seen as following the dharma of being Rama’s opponent.
