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Lanka (/ˈlæŋkə/;Sanskrit:[ˈlɐŋkaː]) is the name given inHindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendaryRakshasa kingRavana in the epics of theRamayana and theMahabharata. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as theTrikuta Mountains. The ancient city of Lankapura is said to have been burnt down byHanuman. After its king, Ravana was killed byRama with the help of Ravana's brotherVibhishana, the latter was crowned king of Lankapura. His descendants were said to still rule the kingdom during the period of thePandavas. According to theMahabharata, the PandavaSahadeva visited this kingdom during his southern military campaign for therajasuya ofYudhishthira. The palaces of Ravana were said to be guarded by four-tusked elephants.[1]
According to both theRamayana and theMahabharata, Lanka was originally ruled by a rakshasa namedSumali.Kubera seized control of Lanka and established theYaksha kingdom and his capital was guarded byrakshasas. His half-brother Ravana, son of the sageVishrava andSumali's daughterKaikesi, fought with Kubera and took Lanka from him. Ravana ruled Lanka as king of theRakshasa kingdom. The battle in Lanka is depicted in a famousrelief in the 12th-centuryKhmer temple ofAngkor Wat.[citation needed]
After Ravana's death, he was succeeded by his brother,Vibhishana.
The Lanka referred to in the still-extant Hindu Texts and theRamayana (referred to asRavana's Lanka), is considered to be a large island-country, situated in the Indian Ocean. Studies refer that the Palace of Ravana was located inSigiriya the palace built by theKashyapa I of Anuradhapura as the legend describes the capital of the kingdom was located between plateaus and forests. Some scholars asserted that it must have beenSri Lanka because it is so stated in the 5th century Sri Lankan textMahavamsa.[2] However, the Ramayana clearly states that Ravana's Lanka was situated 100Yojanas (roughly 1213 km or 753.72 miles) away from mainland India.[3][4]
Some scholars have interpreted the content of these texts to determine that Lanka was located at the point where the Prime-Meridian of India passes theEquator.[5][6] This island would therefore lie more than 160 km (100 mi) southwest of present-day country of Sri Lanka. The most original of all the existing versions ofValmiki'sRamayana also suggest the location of Ravana's Lanka to be in the westernIndian Ocean. It indicates that Lanka was in the midst of a series of large island-nations, submerged mountains, and sunken plateaus in the western part of the Indian Ocean.[7][8]
There has been a lot of speculation by several scholars since the 19th century that Ravana's Lanka might have been in the Indian Ocean around where theMaldives once stood as a high mountain, before getting submerged in the Indian Ocean.[9][10][11][12] This speculation is supported by the presence of Minicoy Island in the vicinity between India and Maldives, the ancient name being Minikaa, or Mainaka (the mountain met by Hanuman on his way to Lanka), which in the ancient language of the place means "cannibal", probably a reference to Sursa, as cannibals from the Nicobars were frequently found here, along with snakes.[13][14]Sumatra andMadagascar has also been suggested as a possibility.[2]
Ravana's Lanka, and its capital Lankapuri, are described in a manner that seems superhuman even by modern-day standards. Ravana's central palace complex (main citadel) was a massive collection of several edifices that reached over one yojana (13 km or 8 mi) in height, one yojana in length, and half a yojana in breadth. The island had a large mountain range known as the Trikuta Mountain (Trikonamalai-In Tamil/Trinkomale-English,where Ravan built Temple for shiva), atop which was situated Ravana's capital of Lanka, at the center of which in turn stood his citadel.[15][16][17]
Many of the references to Lanka in the Mahabharata are found in sageMarkandeya's narration of the story ofRama andSita to the kingYudhishthira, which narration amounts to a truncated version of theRamayana. The references in the following summary are to the Mahabharata and adhere to the following form: (book:section).Markandeya's narration of the story begins at Book III (Varna Parva), Section 271 of the Mahabharata.
Sahadeva, the son ofPandu, conquered the town of Sanjayanti and the country of the Pashandas and theKaranatakas utilizing his messengers alone and made all of them pay tributes to him. The hero brought under his subjection and exacted tributes from the Paundrayas (Pandyas?) and theDravidas along with the Udrakeralas and theAndhras and the Talavanas, theKalingas and the Ushtrakarnikas, and also the delightful city of Atavi and that of theYavanas. And, He has arrived at the seashore, then dispatched with great assurance messengers unto the illustriousVibhishana, the grandson of Pulastya and the ruler ofLanka (2:30).
Lanka king is listed as present in the conclave of kings present inPandava kingYudhishthira'sRajasuya sacrifice.
TheVangas andAngas andPaundras andOdras andCholas andDravidas andCheras andPandyas andMushika andAndhakas, and the chiefs of many islands and countries on the seaboard as also of frontier states, including the rulers of theSinhalas, the barbarousmlecchas, the natives of Lanka, and all the kings of the West by hundreds, and all the chiefs of the seacoast, and the kings of thePahlavas and theDaradas and the various tribes of theKiratas andYavanas andSakras and theHarahunas andChinas andTukharas and theSindhavas and the Jagudas and the Ramathas and the Mundas and the inhabitants of the kingdom of women and the Tanganas and theKekayas and theMalavas and the inhabitants ofKasmira... (3:51).
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