Who was Mandodari Not Just Queen of Lanka | What Happened to Mandodari After Ravana Died

Every child living in India knows the story of Ramayana. They know that Lord Rama went to Lanka and killed Ravana to save his wife, Sita, and returned to Ayodhya with Sita. Do we know about Mandodari queen of Lanka?

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Who was Mandodari Not Just Queen of Lanka

This story about Mandodari is also recorded in the Puranas. Once upon a time, a beautiful nymph named Madhura reached Mount Kailash while traveling.

In the absence of Parvati Devi, she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and tried to attract Lord Shiva.

Unaware of the unwavering love of Shiva and Parvati, she was involved in these antics only when Mother Parvati arrived. Parvati’s mother’s body trembled with anger after seeing this scene running on Mount Kailash.

At that moment, without any delay, she cursed Madhura to become a frog. Not only this but according to that curse, Madhura had to cut 12 years in the same well as a frog.

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Parvati Devi replied that on Shiva’s very request, I cannot take back my curse but can only tell a solution. It can attain its true form only by performing austerities but after austerity for a year.

Now let’s talk about Mayasura, the God of Asuras. Mayasur and his wife Hema, a nymph who wished for a daughter. They had two sons, but still, both started penance for the desire of the girl. By this time, Madhura’s tenacity was also being completed.

Madhura got back to her body and then started making sounds to come out of the well. Hema and Mayasur rushed to save her as soon as they heard her compassionately call. He was pleased to find Madhura as a daughter and named her Mandodari.

Ravana once went to meet Mayasur and could not stop his attraction after seeing Mandodari. When he proposed to Mandodari for marriage in front of Mayasur, the proposal became inflexible. But Ravana was not one to give up so easily. He forcefully married the daughter of Mayasur.

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Mandodari a Devoted Wife of Ravana

Mandodari was also familiar with the nature of Lankapati Ravana and his unwavering Shiva devotion, so for the protection of their father and family, she also did not deny marriage.

After some time, Mandodari gave birth to three sons from Ravana; Eldest son Meghnad, Akshay Kumar, and Atikaya. Scared of Ravana’s arrogance and strength, Mandodari knew in his mind that Ravana had advanced on the path of the apocalypse.

Mandodari’s every attempt to convince her husband Ravana proved to be a failure. Despite all her efforts, Ravana did not agree to return Sita to Lord Rama.

Even knowing that Ravana was slaughtered at the hands of Shri Rama due to a curse, she did not leave her husband during the war. While leaving for the war, the queen of Swarnapuri wished her husband to return to the palace safely.

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Mandodari After the Death of Ravana

It is recorded in Valmiki Ramayana that after the end of Ravana, Lord Rama got Vibhishana crowned by Lakshmana for the welfare of Lanka.

At the end of the war, Mandodari reached the battlefield and was saddened to see the destruction of his relatives.

After the war between Lord Rama and Ravana. After Ravana died, Mandodari went to the battleground and was very sad to see the destruction.

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Lord Rama handed over the king of Lanka to Vibhishan. According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama suggested to Mandodari that he should marry Vibhishan.

Lord Rama said that she was still the Queen of Lanka. Saying this, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya.

It is said that Mandodari then imprisoned herself in the palace. Mandodari kept no contact with anyone for a long time. After a long time, she came out of her palace again and agreed to marry Vibhishana.

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Interesting facts about Mandodari

1. Mandodari was the daughter of Apsara named Hema. Once in the assembly of Devraj Indra, the eyes of Maya, the son of Rishi Kashyapa, went to Hema, and he was fascinated by her. Maya proposed marriage to Hema After marriage, Hema gave birth to the daughter of Mayasura, named Mathura. Mathura was very beautiful and attractive due to being the daughter of Apsara.
2. When Mandodari got married, his father Mayasura started searching for a worthy groom, but he could not find any groom worthy of his beautiful daughter.
3. Mayasura introduced Mandodari to Ravana. As soon as Ravana’s gaze went to Mandodari, he was fascinated and quickly proposed marriage.
4. Ravana promised Mandodari that only Mandodari would be his principal wife and the Queen of Lanka. As a gift to Mandodari, Mayasura created a gold Lanka for Ravana.
5. There is also a story that says Ravana died of a special arrow. Mandodari had given the information of this arrow to Hanuman.
6. It is told in the Puranas that Ravana’s nanihal is in a village near Jodhpur present in Rajasthan. Shortly after Ravana’s death, Mandordari came to Jodhpur to her father-in-law’s house, bidding goodbye to Lanka. There is also a temple of Ravana, which is said to have been built by Mandodari, and Ravana is still worshipped there.

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Role of Mandodari In Ramayana

Mandodari’s role in the Ramayana, though fleeting, is outstanding. Scholar and statesman Dr Pradip Bhattacharya, in an insightful article on Panchakanyas, writes about how she refuses to be boxed into a single narrative.

Like the other four kanyas, she is an epitome of chastity and purity but is punished for no fault of hers.

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She loses her husband, sons, and kith and kin, not to mention her dignity, in the Great War with Rama, knowing all along that the curse of a virtuous woman can ruin the most powerful man.

Mandodari, like the woman she represents, perhaps, hides anger and anguish in her heart as she lives a life of duality: the surface made turbulent by varied experiences, and a deep, silent core in her soul where wisdom originates.

She has the inherent gift of distinguishing right from wrong. And in a crisis, she knows how to insist on doing what she thinks is right.

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What Happened to Mandodari After Ravana Died?

But after the death of Ravana, very few people know what happened to his wife, Mandodari. It is rarely mentioned even in scriptures, but according to a legend recorded in the Hindu Purana, Mandodari remained in Lanka after the death of Ravana and also took full control of Lanka.

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About Author

Ompal Aggarwal

I am a writer based in Delhi. I am 64 years old with more than 44 years of experience in History and Modern Interesting facts. I cover Historical and Modern Interesting facts-based news. I write about historical documentaries on war and religious facts.

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