Ravana Udbhavam - Raghava Pisharodi(1725 to 1795)                                                                         BACK

This is an unusual story in every manner, taken from Uttara Ramayana. It is the story on the past history of Ravana told by Sages to King Rama during his reign.

While Indra was in heaven engaged in heavenly amusements with his dancing girls; Mali, Sumali and Malyavan, three demons living in Lanka were engaged in terrifying and illtreating the sages in the forests. The sages came to Indra with the complaints, they together went to Brahma, again they together to Siva and again they together to Vishnu. Vishnu agrees to take action and kills Mali but the other two, Sumali and Malyavan go to live in a netherland ( Patala ) as suggested by Narada. Then the son of a divine sage Vishravassu called Vaisravana went and lived in Lanka.

Kaikasi, the daughter of Sumali accepted the same Vishravassu as her husband. Three boys, Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana and one daughter, Surpanagha were born to them. However mother and children found that they could not live in the mainland and hence lived only in the forests. One day, little boy Ravana was sleeping with his head in the lap of Kaikasi when she saw that Vaisravana the elder son of her husband was tavelling in the Pushpaka plane overhead. Thinking about the fate of her own child a few tears rolled down from her eyes and fell on Ravana. Ravana got up and asked why she was crying. She said "When your elder brother is flying in a plane you dont even have a place to stay". Hearing this, Ravana decides to make huge tapas to get boons from Brahma. With the help of the boons he went and lived in Lanka along with his brothers. His sister Surpanakhi was married off to person from the netherland called Vidyujuga.

The best and most enduring scene of this play is the Tapas of the boy Ravana told in flashback mode, by the accomplished Ravana after becoming the king of Lanka. Double chenda and double maddalam are used to make an electrfying effect.

Mali, Sumali and Malyavan are dressed in Red Beards, whereas Ravana and Kumbhakarna are Kathi, whereas Vibhishana is Pacha and Kaikasi and the sages are Minuku.