One day Ravan was out like usual on his conquest to defeat
various kings in order to gain more land for his demons to reign over. He came
upon one kingdom ruled under King Maya, who was a well-known asura, and Ravan
could not resist but to approach the palace. Ravan storm inside the castle in
full force screaming for the King of the palace so he can suppress the king
into giving his kingdom away but no one heard and the castle was empty. He
makes his way through the castle to the back of castle where there was a
beautiful courtyard with all sorts of flowers, birds, and a grand fountain in
the middle. Ravan now infuriated by the fact that no one had responded to him,
saw a beautiful princess at the end of the courtyard playing with birds and
watering the flowers. The princess’s name was Mandodari. She was no ordinary
princess but she was the master of illusions, she had the ability to shape
shift and look like anyone she pleased but her original form was an ugly form
that no one ever wanted. At first sight Ravan was in awe and wanted to have her
for himself. He starts walking towards her when he is interrupted by one of the
palace servants, the servant tells him that the king has been waiting for his
arrival. Ravan went to see the king but all he could think about was the
beautiful princess. The king knew that sooner or later Ravan was going to come
in conquest for his kingdom. Ravan stood in front of the king and demanded that
the king hand over the kingdom. The king was smart though, he offered Ravan an
offer that Ravan couldn’t deny. The offer was that Ravan can take his daughter
and in return the King gets to keep his land and acquire Ravan as his ally. Ravan,
who was in awe, accepted the offer and took the princess’s hand in marriage. The
King had safely and smartly gotten away from being under the rule of Ravan.
Authors Note:
The original story is when Ravan goes into the forest where
he stumbles upon an Asura named Maya who also has a daughter of many arts. I retold
the story in a whole new setting and gave the Asura a richer and smarter
background.
Courtyard
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana:
King Rama's Way.
Soham, I really liked your story. Ravan is a very interesting character. You did a very good job on putting your own twist to the original. Some of my favorite stories to read are the ones with the setting changes. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future weeks to come!
ReplyDeleteI like how you illuminated a story in which once again Ravana's lust drives his actions, I like the change in setting, and it fits well within Ramayana.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to read in your words what happens after Ravana finds out that the King's daughter is a great illusionist and truly isn't beautiful at all. Possibility, is that something he knew already and thought would be a great asset? I think it would be interesting to read the way you would portray his thoughts behind finding out she was in an illusionist.
Soham,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very entertaining and unique story. It was definitely a wise move on Maya’s part to offer his daughter in exchange for Ravana’s protection, especially if you consider that Ravana probably would have returned with an army and taken both his daughter and his kingdom. Like Catherine, I found myself wondering what Ravana might think/do upon seeing Mandodari’s true form. Would he be upset and attack Maya or would he overlook her natural appearance since she can change shape? Good job!
Soham, I loved this story! To me, this story was kind of confusing in the book, so I really like that you retold it and make more clarification about how he got Mandodari. I love that you changed the setting of the story, I always find those the most interesting stories. Hearing someone else's perspective and twists on things is always really fun to read. I love the detail you put into the story, and how you portrayed the characters. It was really captivating to read, and I enjoyed it a lot! Great job!
ReplyDeleteSoham, I really enjoyed reading this story. Firstly, I liked the fact that you decided to give it a whole new look because that makes it more fun to read and feel the story. I like the picture you chose it refreshing and new! I like the twists and different ides you incorporated into your story. Great job and great detail, I really enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDelete