Asuras and Rākshasas

Ahirāvaṇa is a son of Rāvaṇa who became king of a city in Pātāla, carried off Rāma and Lakshmaṇa, and was slain by Hanumān.

Aksha Kumāra was a young son of Rāvaṇa who fought Hanumān in the sky after the Pramadā Vana was destroyed and was slain by him.

Alambhusha was a rākshasa warrior on the Kaurava side who fought Ghaṭotkaca in the night battle of the fourteenth day and was slain by him.

Alāyudha was a rākshasa warrior on the Kaurava side, kinsman of Bakāsura, Hiḍimba and Kimmīra, slain by Ghaṭotkaca on the fourteenth night.

Arishṭāsura was an asura who came to Gokula as a huge bull and was killed by the child Kṛshṇa, as Bhīshma recalls in the Sabhā Parva.

Avimdhya was a senior rākshasa minister of Rāvaṇa in Laṅkā who urged him to return Sītā and kept Sītā from harm in the Aśokavana.

Bala was the son of Diti and Kaśyapa, born to defeat Indra. Indra killed him during sandhyā, and Kaśyapa then created Vṛtrāsura.

Bāṇa was the son of Bali. He argued with Bhagavān Vishṇu at Bali's binding, then built the city of Śoṇita and ruled as a daitya chief.

Bhaṇḍāsura was the asura king of Śoṇitapura, born from the ashes of Manmatha, who ruled the three worlds until Lalitā Mahātripurasundarī destroyed him.

Cāṇūra was a champion wrestler of Kaṃsa at Mathurā, killed by Kṛshṇa in the wrestling arena. Bhīshma names his death among Kṛshṇa's deeds.

Daṃbha was a dānava, a devotee of Bhagavān Vishṇu, who won a heroic son, Śaṅkhacūḍa, by tapas at Pushkara.

Dhenukāsura was an asura in the form of a great ass who held the Tālavana palm grove near Gokula until Balarāma and Kṛshṇa killed him.

Dhundhu was a mahāsura, son of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who lay under the Ujjalaka desert until King Kuvalāśva killed him with Bhagavān Vishṇu's power.

Diti, daughter of Daksha Prajāpati and wife of Kaśyapa, was the mother of the Daityas and, through the Puṃsavana Vrata, of the forty-nine Marudgaṇas.

Dundubhi was a proud buffalo-formed rākshasa killed by the vānara king Vāli, whose body led to Mataṅga Muni's śāpa and the safety of Ṛshyamūka.

Dundubhinirhāda was an asura who tried to weaken the devas by killing brāhmaṇas in Kāśī, and was killed by Bhagavān Śiva, who rose from the liṅga.

Durgama was a daitya who took all the Vedas through a vara from Brahmā, brought a hundred-year drought, and was killed by Devī as Śatākshī-Śākambharī.

Gajāsura, the elephant asura and son of Mahishāsura, was killed by Bhagavān Śiva in Kāśī and asked that Bhagavān Śiva wear his hide as a garment.

Ghaṭodara, the blind rākshasa husband of Sūrpākshī, warned his wife to return the brāhmaṇa child she stole from Kośakāra, but too late.

Gobhila was a daitya in Kubera's service, a former birth of Kālanemi, who deceived Padmāvatī in the form of Ugrasena, and the father of Kaṃsa.

Hiraṇyakaśipu, the daitya king and father of Prahlāda, won a vara from Brahmā, ruled the three worlds, and was killed by Bhagavān Narasiṃha.

Indrajit, also called Meghanāda, was Rāvaṇa's eldest son and the greatest warrior of Laṅkā, who captured Indra and later Hanumān.

Jalodbhava, the daitya born of water, lived in the lake of the Kaśmīra valley and was slain by Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Vishṇu, which gave rise to the Vitastā.

Jambhāsura was a chief commander of Tārakāsura's dānava army, slain by Indra with a crescent-shaped arrow in the war that came before Kārttikeya's birth.

Jambumāli, son of Prahasta, was a rākshasa warrior sent against Hanumān in Laṅkā and killed by him with the iron wheel of his own chariot.

Jarā was the rākshasī who joined the two halves of an infant into the living child Jarāsandha, and was later killed by Balarāma.

Kālanemi was a powerful asura slain by Bhagavān Vishṇu while Bali ruled the three worlds, as told in Chapter 47 of the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa.

Kandaru was a daitya, the father of Devavatī, whose marriage was held at the great gathering at Hāṭakeśvara in the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa.

Keśī was an asura sent by Kaṃsa in the form of a huge horse. Kṛshṇa killed him at Gokula, and so received the name Keśava.

Keśī was the rākshasa who seized the divine woman Daitya-senā, and whom Indra drove away with the vajra, in the Mahābhārata's account of Skanda's birth.

Kirmīra was a rākshasa of Kāmyakavana, younger brother of Baka and Hiḍimba, who attacked the Pāṇḍavas at midnight and was killed by Bhīma.

Kṛtyā, called Yātudhānī, was a being of sorcery raised from a sacrificial fire by King Vṛshādarbhi to kill the seven ṛshis, and Indra struck her down.

Kumbhakarṇa, Rāvaṇa's brother, slept six months at a time, knew Rāvaṇa's cause was adharma, yet fought for him and fell to Śrī Rāma.

Kuvalayāpīḍa was Kaṃsa's war elephant at the gate of the wrestling arena at Mathurā, killed by Kṛshṇa, who carried its tusk into the arena.

Laṅkinī was the guardian of the gate of Laṅkā, set there by Brahmā, whom Hanumān struck down on his first night in the city.

In the Mahābhārata's Vana Parva, the dānava Mahishāsura leads an attack on the devas and is slain by Kārttikeya with a single śakti.

Māli, Sumāli and Mālyavān were three rākshasa brothers who took Laṅkā; Bhagavān Vishṇu killed Māli, and Sumāli's line led to Rāvaṇa.

Mālyavān was the senior rākshasa elder of Laṅkā and Rāvaṇa's maternal grandfather. He told Rāvaṇa that Rāma is Bhagavān Mahāvishṇu and urged him to return Sītā.

Maya is the master architect of the dānavas, who built the three cities of the Tripura and ruled its golden city.

Meghānāda, also called Indrajit, was the son of Rāvaṇa and Maṇḍodarī, who captured Indra and was slain by Lakshmaṇa at Nikumbhilā.

Mūlakāsura was a rākshasa, born from Durvāsa's śāpa, who held a vara from Brahmā against all males and was slain by Chāyā-Sītā with the Caṇḍikāstra.

Mura was the five-headed asura who guarded Prāgjyotisha, the city of Narakāsura, and was slain by Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, who is called Murāri for this.

Mushṭika was one of the two champion wrestlers of Kaṃsa at Mathurā and was killed by Balarāma.

Namuci is a powerful dānava who, in the Mokshadharma Parva, teaches Indra calm of mind, and who is elsewhere slain by Indra with sea-foam.

Narakāsura was the asura king of Prāgjyotishapura, son of Bhūmīdevī, slain by Bhagavān Kṛshṇa after he stole Aditi's kuṇḍalas and imprisoned many women.

Narāntaka, a son of Rāvaṇa, was cast into the ocean at birth, won *varas* from Brahmā and Śiva, and fell in battle to Rāma in the Laṅkā Kāṇḍa.

The Nīvātakavacas were a tribe of dānavas in Pātāla, wearing armour no deva could break, whom Arjuna destroyed at Indra's command.

Pāñcajana was a sea-asura who swallowed Sāndīpani's son; Kṛshṇa killed him and took the conch Pāñcajanya, named after him.

Pulomā and Kālakā, two rākshasa women, won from Brahmā the flying city Hiraṇyapura for their sons; Arjuna later destroyed it.

Prahasta was Rāvaṇa's chief minister in Laṅkā; he questioned Hanumān in court, lost his son Jambumāli, and his palace was the first burned.

In the Udyoga Parva, Prahlāda judges between his son Virocana and the brahmin Sudhanya over Keśinī, and speaks the truth though it costs his son's life.

Śakaṭāsura was an asura who took the form of a cart; infant Kṛshṇa kicked it over in Gokula and destroyed him.

Śaṅkha, the Ocean's son, drove out the devas and stole the Vedas; Bhagavān Vishṇu, as a fish, killed him, and Prayāga became the Tīrtharāja.

Siṃhikā was a great rākshasī of the ocean who caught flying beings by their shadows, until Hanumān killed her on his way to Laṅkā.

Śrīdāma was a daitya who took Lakshmī from the abode of Bhagavān Vishṇu and was slain by Him with the Sudarśana Cakra.

Sūrpākshī was a rākshasī who stole infants; she took the brāhmaṇa child Niśākara but lost her own son to Kośakāra's mantra power.

In the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Tārakāksha is the daitya hero who guarded Bali's Aśvamedha horse and later lived in Maya's Tripura.

Tārakāksha was one of the three dānava chiefs of Tripura; he ruled the iron city and was slain by Nandīśvara.

Trijatā was the righteous rākshasī guard who comforted Sītā in the Aśoka Vāṭikā and told her dream of the victory of Bhagavān Rāma.

Vajranābha was the asura king of Vajrapura, a city given by Brahmā's boons; Pradyumna slew him with the Sudarśana Cakra on the word of Kṛshṇa.

Vegavān was a mighty rākshasa who fought for Śālva against the Yādavas in the attack on Dvārakā with the Saubha vimāna.

Vibhīshaṇa, Rāvaṇa's righteous younger brother, defended Hanumān, took shelter with Rāma and became king of Laṅkā.

Vidala and Utpala were two asuras who came to Kailāsa wanting Pārvatī and were killed by her with a ball, which became a liṅga in Kāśī.

Vidyunmāli was one of the three dānava rulers of Tripura and ruled its silver city, Rajata-pura, floating in the mid-sky.

Vighasa was an asura of Andhaka's army who swallowed Brahmā, Vishṇu, Indra and other devas at Kailāsa until Śiva's mantra made him release them.

Vivindhu was a dānava who fought for Śālva in the attack on Dvārakā and was killed by Pradyumna.

Vṛtrāsura was an asura killed by Indra. The Padma Purāṇa, Mahābhārata and Bhāgavata Purāṇa each tell of his birth and death.

Ayomukhī was a rākshasī who met Rāma and Lakshmaṇa in the Krauñca forest and was punished by Lakshmaṇa when she pressed him to be her husband.

Baka was a powerful rākshasa who forced the town of Ekacakrā to send him food and a man each time, until Bhīma killed him.

Dūshaṇa was a chief rākshasa general at Janasthāna under Khara, killed by Rāma in the battle there.

Kabandha was a headless dānava with arms a yojana long. Rāma freed him from his śāpa, and he told Rāma to seek Sugrīva.

Nikumbha is the name of an asura, father of Sunda and Upasunda in the Mahābhārata, and of the Shaṭpura asura slain by Kṛshṇa's Sudarśana in the Harivaṃśa.

Sthūlaśiras was a ṛshi whose śāpa gave Kabandha his headless form, with his face in his belly and arms of great length.

Sukeśa was an early rākshasa king, blessed by Śiva and Pārvatī, and father of Mālyavān, Sumāli and Māli, the ancestors of Rāvaṇa's line.

Śūrpaṇakhā was Rāvaṇa's sister. Her mutilation by Lakshmaṇa at Pañcavaṭī led to the fall of Khara's army and to Rāvaṇa's plan to take Sītā.

Triśiras (three-headed) is the name of a rākshasa general slain by Rāma at Janasthāna, and of Tvashṭā's three-headed son killed by Indra.

Virādha was a rākshasa of Daṇḍakāraṇya, the first foe Rāma met in the deep forest, and the gandharva Tumburu under a śāpa.

Viśravas was a brahmarshi of the line of Pulastya, and the father of Kubera, Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa, Śūrpaṇakhā and Vibhīshaṇa.