Ahiravan (Mahiravan)

In Ramayana-derived episodic tradition (notably eastern recensions such as the Krittivasi Ramayana), Ahiravan/Mahiravan is presented as a king of Patala — the nether-world — who is called upon by Ravana after the death of Indrajita/Meghnath. Using magic and deception he abducts Rama and Lakshmana from the protagonists' camp with the intention of sacrificing them to the goddess Mahamaya/Devi. Different tellings present him as Ravana's brother or trusted ally; the story cluster associating him with a Patala-kingly court and a sacrificial plot appears in regional poems, later popular narratives and film adaptations.

Narrative sources emphasize Ahiravan/Mahiravan's status and actions rather than a sustained physical portrait. He is described as the king of Patala and a rakshasa lord who commands a palace and army in the nether-world. The tales record corporeal vulnerability: at the climax Hanuman beheads Mahiravan, and one account notes that "Mahiravan’s headless body had not stopped twitching," indicating a bodily form subject to lethal injury. Beyond these action-focused details, the supplied sources do not preserve a systematic description of height, color, or other sustained visual traits.

Accounts attribute to Ahiravan/Mahiravan several specific capacities: mastery of maya (magical illusion and shapeshifting) — e.g., taking Vibhishana's form to infiltrate Rama's camp; use of a nidra-mantra (sleeping spell) to incapacitate the vanara army and facilitate abduction; the power to transport and detain Rama and Lakshmana in Patala for an intended ritual sacrifice; and kingship over Patala including command of armies and a palace. His magic is potent enough to carry the princes off to the nether-world, but narratives make clear that he may be countered by knowledge, devotion, and direct divine aid — notably Hanuman's panchamukha (five-faced) manifestation and the assistance of the goddess Mahamaya/Kali, by means of which he is ultimately beheaded and killed.