Ilvala

Ilvala was a powerful rākshasa king. He ruled the city of Māṇimatī, which is also called Durjaya. The Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata tells how he and his brother Vātāpi killed brāhmaṇas by a cruel trick. Agastya Maharshi ended this scheme for good. Ilvala then had to give Agastya great wealth.

The start of his anger

Ilvala once went to a brāhmaṇa and asked for a son as strong as Indra. The brāhmaṇa refused. The text does not say why. This refusal filled Ilvala with a violent anger. In time it grew into a steady campaign to kill brāhmaṇas in the cruelest way. He invited them as honoured guests and then killed them from inside.

The method of killing

Ilvala’s brother Vātāpi could take any form he liked. Ilvala changed Vātāpi into a ram or a goat, killed him, cooked him and served the meat as a meal to visiting brāhmaṇas. When the brāhmaṇa had eaten and the meal was in his belly, Ilvala called out in a loud voice: “Vātāpi, come out!” Vātāpi was still alive in his changed form. He burst through the belly of the guest, tore him apart and killed him. In this way the two brothers killed many hundreds of brāhmaṇas.

How Agastya defeated him

Agastya came to Māṇimatī with three kings who were seeking wealth. Ilvala served his usual meal, with Vātāpi cooked as the food. Agastya ate it calmly. By the fire of his tapas (austerity) he digested Vātāpi completely during the meal itself.

Ilvala called out “Vātāpi, come out!” There was no answer. Agastya gently stroked his belly and said: “I have already digested your brother.”

Ilvala saw that Vātāpi was gone and that his scheme had failed against a greater power. He had nothing more to try. He gave in to Agastya’s request for wealth and handed over very large amounts of gold and silver. This wealth was shared among the three kings and was used to fulfil the wish of Lopāmudrā.

Māṇimatī

Māṇimatī, also called Durjaya, was Ilvala’s city. It was famous for the wealth he had gathered. In the text it lies on the tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) route on which Agastya was travelling when he met Ilvala.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 96–97