Amish Tripathi’s Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta is the third book of the Ram Chandra Series.

Highlights of the book.

• We all know the story about – Raavan kidnapping Sita. This book opens you to all the incidences in Raavan’s life.

• Raavan’s character is well defined. It keeps the reader captivated and fascinated.

• The book narrates the incidences in Raavan’s life, from his childhood till he becomes the King of Lanka, Raavan, the most epic and complex villain.

• When you start walking with Raavan, through the book, you will pity him, respect him, love him and sometimes dislike him.

Raavan was Maharishi Vishrava’s first child. The secret was that Raavan was born a Naga. It was a well-kept secret.

He was hungry for power from childhood. Because of this nature, he never had a good relationship with his father.

The Kanyakumari of Vaidyanath had come to rest at Maharishi Vishrava’s ashram, after a long pilgrimage.

Raavan falls deeply in love with the Kanyakumari of Vaidyanath. By looking at his actions, the Kanyakumari would request Raavan to be a better person.

When Raavan was nine years old, Raavan’s younger brother, Kumbhakarna is born. Kumbhakarna is also a Naga, it was a bad sign. So Raavan’s father’s followers try to kill the newborn baby.

To keep his baby brother alive, the nine-year-old Raavan and his maternal uncle, Mareech, fight with the people of the ashram.

Raavan, his uncle, his mother along with the newborn baby, had escaped from their house.

They go to their maternal family for protection. But they too reject them.

They all go to Vaidyanath on Raavan’s demand. Raavan wanted to meet the Kanyakumari. But till that time, the Kanyakumari had changed. With a depressed heart, Raavan and his family leave Vaidyanath and travel to the southern part of India.

At the age of ten, Raavan had started working as a smuggler, because he had to look after his family.

Raavan had decided the name of his younger brother – Kumbhakarna – because his ears resembled the Kumbha (pots). Raavan loved his brother dearly. Raavan’s maternal uncle, Mareech, was always with them, through thick and thin.

Raavan always thought about the Kanyakumari. But So, he didn’t know where and how to find her, as he didn’t know her name or her whereabouts.

With time, Raavan became more powerful. He had started a business, by buying Akampana’s ship.

During this time, he also saves a girl child, named, Samichi. Samichi, promises to be faithful to Ravaan and starts working for him. She was sent to Mithila, to work as Sita’s servant. She used to pass on all the information of Mithila to Raavan.

Raavan had planned an attack on the governor of Chilika, Krakachabahu. Because Krakachabahu had hidden the wealth of the King of Kalinga.

Raavan attacked Krakachabahu and takes away all the wealth.

While returning, Raavan sees the Kanyakumari.

Kumbhakarna, being the obedient and faithful brother, searched for her. He found out that the Kanyakumari had taken up a new identity – Vedavati.

Vedavati was married to Prithvi, a small trader. She was pregnant.

Raavan finally meets her Kanyakumari.

He tries to woo Vedavati but she doesn’t agree. While leaving, Raavan gives a hundi to Vedavati for the betterment of the city.

Vedavati and her husband are killed, by the son of the village leader, where they lived. She was killed for the hundi that Raavan had given her.

When Raavan comes to know about the murder, he becomes furious and orders the destruction of all the villagers of Vedavati’s city.

Raavan becomes a ruthless person and vows to destroy the Sapt Sindhu, where Vadavati was disrespected and killed.

With time, Ravaan becomes more powerful. He takes up control of the trading market of Lanka. He even becomes the general of Kuber, the chief trader.

Raavan defeats the king of Ayodhya, Dashrath, and takes up control of the money in Sapt Sindhu.

So, Raavan’s Lanka becomes the richest city among the Sapt Sindhu.

Kumbhakarna, though still faithful to Ravaan, tries to find ways to be away from Raavan. Kumbhakarna wanted to follow his dharma and was not very happy with Raavan’s behaviour.

As time passes, Ravaan marries Mandodari. They have a son, Indrajit. Raavan loves his son deeply.

Ravaan had many plans in his head. He knew about Prince Angad’s true father, so he wished to use this secret to defeat Kishkindha. He wanted to take over their army to make a strong support force for himself.

Raavan also wanted to be acknowledged as “The Living God”, by the Council of Wise Men in Mithila. This was the main reason, why Raavan wanted to marry Princess Sita, the prime minister of Mithila.

Raavan was severely insulted at Sita’s Swayamwar. He was insulted by the sneaky strategies of the Malayaputras. Because Sita wanted to marry Ram.

Raavan wanted to take revenge for the insult. So he surrounds Mithila with 10,000 of his soldiers-cum-bodyguards.

Ram, the husband of Sita, has no way to protect his wife and her family. So he is enforced to use the biological weapon, Asurastra, by Viswamitra. The use of this weapon was prohibited by Lord Rudra.

The punishment for using the weapon was 14 years of “Vanwas.”

The Lankan army is conquered by the Asurastra weapon but Raavan escapes on his helicopter, Pushpak Viman.

The Asurastra weapon had given a life-crippling blow to Kumbhakarna. He had to take heavy doses of medicines which would make him sleep a lot.

This made Raavan drop his plans of conquering Kishkindha and Mithila and he started focussing more on Kumbha’s health.

Raavan was revengeful. He had sent his half-siblings, Shurpanakha and Vibhishan to kidnap Sita.

Raavan becomes angry because of the failed attempt by their half-siblings, Shurpanakha and Vibhishan. Shurpanakha’s nose is cut by Lakshman.

After 13 long years, Raavan and Kumbha finally kidnap Sita.

Raavan and Kumbhakarna, for the very first time, see Sita, the next Vishnu. They are shocked to see that although Vedavati and Prithvi died, their daughter was alive.

It was Sita! She grew up to be the adopted daughter of the King of Mithila, Janak.

Vishwamitra knew about Vedavati and Raavan and hence had chosen Sita to be the next Vishnu.

Vishwamitra knew that Raavan could not kill Sita, who resembled the person he loved so dearly.

Vishwamitra gets to know about Sita’s abduction. He even comes to know about Hanuman, who had reached the site of the incident.

Vishamitra is happy to know that his plan was working. His old friend-turned-foe, Rishi Vashishtha, had left with no other option other than to help him in the war which is about to happen.

This book can be compared with a Bollywood film. It has all the emotions and masala needed for a blockbuster Bollywood movie.

It has: –

Romance – Raavan’s love for Vedavati (Kanyakumari).

Drama – Raavan’s relationship with his father.

Action – Raavan’s Mithila war with Ram.

Philosophy / Morals – The Malyaputras and the Vayuputras.

Humour – talks between Raavan and Kumbhakarna.

And just like a Bollywood movie sequel, this book too has:

TO BE CONTINUED ….

I am already excited and eagerly waiting for Amish Tripathi’s next book of the Ram Chandra Series.

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