Talk:Ravana

King Ravana of Sri Lanka is well-known in myth and legend and the story of Rama and Sita as told in the epic poem, the Indian “Ramayana,” which is depicted in theatre and dance in India, Thailand, and on the island of Bali in Indonesia all demonize Ravana as the evil demon who was vanquished by the hero, Rama, revered throughout India to this day as a god.

The fact of the matter is that king Ravana was a remarkable monarch, so remarkable that he is part of the folklore of Sri Lanka where the humblest villager in the remotest hamlet respects his memory as a beneficent human being, neither a god nor a demon.

The ‘demonization’ of a formidable adversary who was defeated because of the treachery of his brother, Vibhushana, who betrayed him and changed sides is the substance of the epic poem. That paved the way to making Rama of Ayodhya a hero and a god and a part of the Hindu pantheon. The utter destruction visited upon the Island of Sri Lanka almost erased the memory of its greatest king, Ravana, and it is his story, reconstructed from fragments that survive in the memory of this Island’s inhabitants.

Was Ravana really a 'demon' or was it a degratory term used to elevate Rama beyond his stature?