In The World of Tamils

The ordinary Tamil carries the image of Raavan as an extraordinarily accomplished person coming to an inglorious end because of his irrational passion for a woman who detests him

- PA Krishnan

IN the immortal epic Kamba Ramayana, there is a wonderful poem which starts with the words "Vendrilan Enra Pothum (even though I haven't won)". In this poem, Raavan tells his son Indrajit, who pleads with him to leave Sita, that he may not win the war, but his name will stand as long as the name of Ram stands, which is supposed to last as long as the Vedas last. Raavan is right.

Every time the name of Ram is invoked, the demon with 10 heads springs to our mind. Such is the power of his character. Like Milton's Satan, Raavan sets himself against God. Like Satan, who says, "That glory never shall his wrath or might/Extort from me/To bow and sue for grace/With suppliant knee, and deify his power...," Raavan too doesn't want to bow before Ram. A study of the evolution of Raavan, especially in the Tamil literary world, where he was first introduced as a callous demon without any sensibilities but, as time passed on, acquired several exceedingly human dimensions, makes fascinating reading.

Raavan in the Sangam Age

The connection between the Ramayana and Tamil is almost as old as the extant Tamil literature itself. Sangam poems, written about 2,000 years ago, speak about the Ramayana and Raavan. He is called “Valithakai Arakkan”—the most powerful rakshasa (demon). Later in Chilappadikaram, written about 1,500 years ago, the storming of the fortress Lanka and its destruction are mentioned.

Raavan and the Tamil Bhakti Saints