Even as the nation worships Lord Rama on Dussehra and celebrates the slaying of Ravana, the King of Lanka, there is one city that continues to honour Ravana in its own unique way — and yet burns his effigy every year.
For Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Ravana is not just the villain of Hindu epic Ramayana. For the city, he is a son-in-law.
The ancient city of Meerut traces its roots to both of the great Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Interestingly, both the epics link Meerut to Maya, the King of Danavas, who is also sometimes spelt as Mae in English. The city is named after him.
The lore has it that the city was established by Maya Danava and was called Mayarashtra. Over the course of the time, the name evolved into Maedant ka Khera (the mound of Maedant) and eventually Merath. The Anglicisation with the advent of the British ensured that the city came to spelt as Meerut.
The Ramayana says that Maya was the father of Mandodari, the principal wife of Ravana. As the hometown of Ravana’s wife, Meerut has long been known in the region as ‘Ravan ki Sasural’ [Ravana’s in-laws’ home]. The lore is rooted such in the city’s culture that families of women marrying a man from the city have often teased their sons-in-law by calling them Ravana — often adorably but certainly during tussles too!
King Maya of Meerut and connection to Ravana
As is the case with many figures in Hindu mythology, King Maya of Danavas finds mention in both Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In 19th century, as the British were going about documenting the history, culture, geography, and demographics of the newly-conquered territories, they noted Meerut’s link to the epics.
In the ‘Imperial Gazetteer of India (Volume 17, 1909)’, the British noted that while the exact origin of the name of Meerut is uncertain, it appears to be derived from ‘Mahi’, the architect of Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandava brother in Mahabharata. The ‘Mahi’ is the Anglicised corruption of Maya.
In the book ‘History and Culture of Western Uttar Pradesh (Vol. 1)’, historians Amit Pathak and KK Sharma note that even though both Mahabharata and Ramayana associate the establishment of Meerut with Maya, it is only Ramayana that mentions the connection with Ravana. It is understandable as Ravana is only central to Ramayana and not Mahabharata. In both the epics, however, Maya is described as Danava king who is a great architect who built palaces and cities for both gods and danavas.
As per the Mahabharata, on the behest of Lord Krishna, Maya built the palaces and halls for Pandavas in their capital of Indraprastha, which is understood to be located in present-day Delhi.
For his excellent services, the Pandava King Yudhishthir granted Maya the land on which he established the city that came to known as Mayarashtra, notes Pathak, referring to the Mahabharata.
Ramayana adds further to the story of Maya. It identifies him as the father of Mandodari and the father-in-law of Ravana. Ramayana’s author Valmiki describes Maya as the “foremost of D?navas” and the “lord of Daityas”, according to the English translation of the epic by Manmatha Nath Dutt.
Pathak and Sharma further note, “The Valmiki Ramayan states that Mae [or Maya] was the father-in-law of the demon King Ravana. According to this myth, the city of Meerut was established by Mae Danav and from his name it was called Maerashtra [or Mayarashtra] which later got transformed to Meerath and Meerut. Meerut in ancient times was also called Maedant Ka Khera. Khera in the local dialect is a mound; therefore the mound of Meerut, on which the old city is established, has its name derived from Maedant or Mae Danav.”
How Ravana became Meerut’s son-in-law
As per the lore, Maya and his nymph wife Hema were blessed with a daughter after years of penance in the woods. They named her Mandodari.
The lore says that Mandodari’s previous name was Madhura and she was also once a nymph and was cursed to become a frog for 12 years, according to Vettam Mani’s ‘Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature’.
Maya and Hema found her in a well after the curse was lifted after 12 years and adopted her as their daughter, according to Mani.
Even though Madhura was cursed, Lord Shiva had somewhat loosened the curse by saying that she would be married to “a man of great fame and valour” once the curse was lifted, as per Mani. This is how Madhura became Maya and Hema’s daughter Mandodari.
In Ramayana, Valmiki writes that once Ravana came across Maya during a hunt after a victorious campaign.
When Ravana asked Maya why he was wandering with a young woman in the woods where neither a human nor an animal could be seen, Maya replied that he is wandering in search of a husband for his daughter.
When Ravana told Maya about his identity and lineage, Maya was impressed and offered her daughter’s hand in marriage.
“Foremost of D?navas, Maya, learning that he [Ravana] was the son of the Maharshi Paulastya, there desired in his heart to give away his daughter to him,” writes Valmiki, as per the translation by Dutt.
“This daughter of mine, O King, borne by the Apsar? Hem?, this my daughter named Mandodari. Do thou accept as thy wife?” said Maya, as per Valmiki.
Ravana accepted Maya’s proposal and married Mandodari, as per Valmiki.
This is how Ravana came to be known as the son-in-law of Meerut as he married the daughter of Meerut’s ruler in the epics.
Meerut-based historian Anil Kumar Gandhi tells Firstpost that while Ramayana and Mahabharata mention Maya, Mandodari, and Ravana, there is little mention of their association with the city in texts other than the epics.
Gandhi says, “It is known that the name of Meerut evolved from Mayarashtra, which was named after King Maya. The evolution is rooted in Ramayana. Except for the evolution of the city’s name, all legends around Maya, Mandodari, and Ravana are rooted in oral traditions that have been passed down for hundreds of years — if not for thousands of years. There are places in Meerut which these oral traditions associate with Mandodari. It is said that there was a pond in present-day Bhainsali Ground’s area in ancient times where Mandodari used to bathe and present-day Bilveshwarnath Temple is the site where Mandodari used to pray in her time.”
Gandhi notes that outside of oral traditions and the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, one cannot corroborate these beliefs.
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Even as Meerut burns Ravana on Dussehra, the city remembers him as son-in-law
