Ravana revisited
 Ravana has come back to life. Just as he had been claimed to have ten
heads, he has been re-created in as many forms. The latest reincarnation
in the ‘Ravana Meheyuma’ (Ravana Mission) is by Susitha Ruwan, a doctor
at Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital. It is a futuristic thriller with a
historical background. In this novel he takes us back a few thousand
years to the time of Ravana and Kuvera and a cave complex on Mahaeliya.
Though this is a work of fiction, but fiction using a lot of
historical data, there are also several studies published recently,
based on the recent archaeological discoveries, on ancient ola books and
in folklore in relation to Ravana.
Earlier publications
“Yakshagothrika Bhashava saha Ravi Shailasha Vansha Kathava” by Ven
Manave Vimalarathna himi, is a translation of an ancient manuscript
written in the language of the Yaksha race. Ravana is said to be the
founder of the Ravi Shailasha clan of the Yakshas. They were well versed
in seafaring, navigation, astronomy, aeronautics and irrigation
technology.
In the earlier book published by Vimalarathne himi, “Yaksha
Gothriakayange Aprakata Thorathuru”, he has given us more information
about the Yaksha race. Ravana was also known as King Yagu
Kauranamantaka. His son was Upendraminika.
Nagoda Ariyadasa Senevirathne, in his book “Sri Lanka Ravana
Rajadaniya saha Sigiri Puranaya” , claims that Sigiriya was Ravana's
Lankapura. He believes that the Sigiri Frescos had been painted during
the time of Ravana, and that some of them may have been restored or
painted over during the time of Kassapa. He identifies the lady in cave
13B to be Mandodari, Ravana's consort, and the lady with the deformed
features is Shurpanaka, Ravana's sister after her face was mutilated by
Rama.
 Ravana's mother was Pushpotkata or Mahabiya, who was the daughter of
king Sumali. Ravana was a scientist, a physician, and a writer. Among
the books he had written are Udis Tantra, Shivathandava Sthothra, and on
Ayurveda including Arkaprakashaya, Nadivignanaya and Kumarathanthraya.
One more idea presented by Senevirathne is that there could have been
several princes and kings with the name Ravana, which has created
confusion in our minds. Senevirathne argues that the name Ravana had
continued even up to the 9th century. The pillar inscription found at
Viyaulpota near Sigiriya mentions an official named Ravana (mekappar
Kannami Ravanami).
Ravana clan
Ravana belonged to the Yaksha. Kuveni was also a Yaksha princess.
A. Suddhahami, in ‘Kuveni nam vu Yak Landa’ traces the ancestry of
Dissanayake Herath Mudiyanselage Punchi Banda of the village Ranorava in
Ambanpola. Punchi Banda claims to be a descendant of a Yakhsa named
Mailavalana, who had escaped during the massacre of the Yaksha race by
Vijaya. Suddhahami draws our attention to the Seruvila cave inscription,
“Parumaka Yakadataha”. Paranavitana refers to him as Yagadatta, but says
that it may also stand for Yakhadatta. A Yaksha as a Parumaka could not
have been a cannibal!
Ravana name is continued by a family in a remote village named
Ravanagama off Balangoda. They still use their family name ‘Ravana-ge'.
The pebbles containing iron ore found in this region are known by the
village folk as ‘Ravana Guli'.
There is evidence today that people who lived in this region had used
iron implements more than 3000 years ago.
Then, according to Prof. Raj Somadeva, we have been using iron tools
much earlier than the Indians.
There are other families in Sri Lanka, who do not wish to admit their
ancestry. Vimal Ranatunge in his book ‘Polonnaruwe Pas Vasak’ mentions a
person, who reminded him of his ancestral likeness to the Yaksha.
But it is time for such families to come out. It is time that they
realized they are the true Bhumiputra of this country, as Dr.
Harischandra Wijayatunga believes, the true Adivasai. Adivasi means the
original inhabitants. Ravana was a great Sinhala king and a true Sri
Lankan. We should be proud of such a long ancestry.
Searching for Ravana
When we start our search for Ravana, we have to be careful not to
confuse our great ancestor with the character shown in the Ramayana.
Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two great epics of India.
Rama and Hanuman are worshiped as deities. In their story they have
to show Rama as the maryada purushottam, the Ideal Person. Then it is
inevitable that Ravana has to be the opposite, the personification of
evil.
Even then, Ramayana writers failed to hide the power, the technology
and the intelligence of Ravana and the Yaksha race.
That is why Rama had to seek the support of Hanuman and his monkey
army to fight against Ravana and his Yaksha forces. They could not hide
that Ravana had a flying machine, or some form of machine that could
enable him to fly across the ocean and across land to distant regions.
They could not hide the majesty of Ravana's Lankapura. They could not
hide that they succeeded in defeating Ravana only through the treachery
of his own brother.
Ramayana could be a work of fiction, or a story based on a religious
legend. It is up to Indian scholars to search for the real Rama who had
lived in India. But today we have sufficient evidence to believe that
Ravana did exist.
We could believe that a powerful Yaksha race lived in Sri Lanka
alongside a Naga race, going back into deep history, at least 1.5
million years, since the finding of the Acheulean stone axe at Mayakkai,
near Point Pedro.
We need to learn about our historic roots, because we can learn from
them how to live in harmony with nature. We can learn how to prolong the
lifespan of Mother Earth, which in turn would help us too to live longer
and happier.
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