Ahiravanaअहिरावण

Passing Beneath the Guarded Camp

Ravana’s minister advises him to summon his netherworld relatives after the losses suffered in the war. The brothers promise to seize Rama and Lakshmana at midnight. Vibhishana learns of the plan and warns the Vanara leaders, who surround the sleeping princes with a defensive enclosure formed from their tails.

Ahiravana and Mahiravana cannot find an entrance through the fortification. They dig beneath it instead and carry the princes away on their cot. At Mahikavati they keep them in a trance while preparations are made for the sacrifice. The disappearance leaves footprints and a tunnel that enable Hanuman to begin the pursuit.

The False Blessing in the Temple

Hanuman reaches the netherworld, encounters Makaradhvaja and learns where the captives have been taken. He enters the temple in a tiny form and assumes the goddess’s place. Speaking as the deity, he orders the princes brought inside alive. The captors believe that their offering has been accepted and deliver them into the rescuer’s protection.

Once alone with Rama and Lakshmana, Hanuman reveals himself, gives them food and retrieves their weapons. He then returns to the goddess’s appearance and calls Ahiravana in first to receive a blessing. Delighted by the apparent honour, Ahiravana enters without recognising the deception. Hanuman kills him, and the fighting breaks into the open.

A Power That Outlasts Its Owner

Ahiravana’s death does not immediately end the danger. Chandraseni explains that his earlier austerities pleased Shiva, who granted a protection benefiting Mahiravana: nectar carried by great black flies mixes with his blood and produces further Mahiravanas. Hanuman must discover and interrupt that supply before Rama can finish the remaining struggle.