Maya or Mayāsura is a figure in Hindu mythology. He is king of the danavas, a demonic
race, and famous for his brilliant architecture. His most important creations include the
Mayasabha (the hall of illusions) for the Pandavas and Tripura (the three cities) for the sons
of Tarakasura. He is also mentioned as the father-in-law of Ravana in the epic
Ramayana. The Uttara Kanda of the epic Ramayana mentions that during his visit to swarga
(heaven), Maya married an apsara (heavenly nymph) named Hema. They had two sons —
Mayavi and Dundubhi — and a daughter Mandodari, who later married Ravana, the rakshasa
ruler of Lanka and the main antagonist of the epic.
Swayamprabha also and apsara was the friend of Hema and entrusted with the responsibility
of safeguarding the creation of Maya, when he was slayed by Lord Indra.  On their journey to
discover Sita the monkeys are trapped inside the Mayavi cave and enamoured by the
blossoming trees full of fruits and the fresh water streams. The garden is scented and the
splendour is erotic but if the monkeys drink the water or eat the fruits, they are cursed to
remain in the land forever and they cannot do that because they are committed to Ram to find
Sita. Svayamprabha is impressed by their devotion and aids them to find a way out of the trap
and leads them to Lanka.

Jambvan was the King of the Bears though many ancient scriptures have also described him
as a monkey. He was created by Lord Brahma, to assist Lord Ram in his battle against demon
King Ravana. Jambavan is the only one to witness both Ramayana and Mahabharaat. He was
present during the churning of the ocean and circled Vamana seven times when he was
acquiring the three worlds from Mahabali. Unfortunately, there is little information about his
wife Jambavan but his daughter Jambavati is documented as chronologically the second
Ashtabharya of the Hindu God Krishna. 
As per the story, Lord Krishna married Jambvati when he defeated her father, Jambavan, in his
quest to retrieve the stolen Syamantaka jewel. Jambavati is believed to be an incarnation of
Goddess Lakshmi. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Jambavati was the mother of Samba
who was the reason why the Yadav clan was perished. Her other offsprings include Sumitra,
Purujit, Shatajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Chitraketu, Vasuman, Dravida, and Kratu. The Vishnu
Purana says that she has many sons headed by Samba.

Everyone knows about Ravan’s virtuous brotherVibhishan who went against his brother and sided with dharma but very little is mentioned about Vibhishan’s wife Sarama who stood rock steady by her husband all through the crisis. She was an independent, empowered woman and Vibhishan derived the strength to follow the correct path of life from Sarama. 

It is said that Sarama was a rakshashi (demon) and though there is not sufficient information about her lineage, she is mentioned in rare scriptures as a Gandharva daughter. Elder brother Ravana chose Sarama for his brother to be his brother Vibhishana. Some scriptures say that Vibhishan married Mandodari after Ravana’s demise and later adaptations of Ramayana, describe Trijita as Vibhishan and Mandodri’s child but this is an improbable story because Trijita was Lankesh’s slave at Ashok Vatika guarding Mata Sita.

Most of us have only heard about Mandodari as Ravan’s wife but research reveals that Ravan had three wives. Mandodari, the daughter of the celestial architect Mayasur His second wife was called Chirangi, the daughter of the Gandharva, Chitrasen, who bore Ravan one son, Veerbaahu and finally,Dhanyamalini, Ravan’s third wife who is said to have been killed by the husband. 

To be continued

Kumbhakarn is the brother of Ravana and the son of Rishi Vishrava., Not much is mentioned about him in the epic except that he had the ability to sleep for six months in a year. He was married to Vajrajwala, the daughter of Bali and the granddaughter of Virochana, who also fought in the war against Rama and was killed. Kumbkaran and Vajrajwala raised two sons, Kumbha and Nikumbha.

Kumbhkaran’s second wife was called Karkati who was the princess of Sayadri and bore a son called Bhimasura

To be continued

The sacred Hindu scriptures mention that Lord Hanuman was married to Suvarchala Devi,
the daughter of Sun God. This sounds controversial because Lord Hanuman, was meant to be
a Brahmachari, but the Ramcharit Manas, the Valmiki Ramayana and the texts of Parasara
Samhita and Maharshi Parasara,have confirmed that Lord Hanuman worshipped Lord Surya
as his guru, and mastered the Vedas under his guidance. He was however unable to study an
important scripture – the Nava Vyakarnas (Nine Grammars) because he was not married, so in
order to facilitate Hanuman’s vidya, the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh) thought of a plan.
They requested Lord Surya to create a maiden/ Suvarchala Devi from his luminescence.
Suryachala Devi is an ayonija (someone not born from a yoni (vagina) and a marriage was
proposed between Suryachala and Hanuman.
When Hanuman refused to marry her, saying that he was a Bhramachari, Lord Surya
demanded his marriage as guru-dakshina from his student and promised him that he will
remain a celibate post marriage. Thus, Hanuman was able to complete his vidya as a grahasth
(householder). Lord Surya’s boon came true because Suryachal Devi was lost in Tapasya all
the time and it is believed that her energy is so pure that if you pray to Suvarchala Devi she
will bless you with a prosperous married life. Suryachal Devi and Hanuman never consumed
their marriage but were blessed with a son, Makardhwaja, who born from a fish that
swallowed a drop of sweat of Lord Hanuman when he dived into the Lanka Sea after burning
the golden palace
To be continued

Sabari devoted her life in waiting for Lord Ram. According to Krishna Dutt, Sabari was a seeker of knowledge and ran away from home to become an ascetic, unheard of in those times.  After days of travel, she met Sage Matanga at the foot of Mount Rishyamukha, who accepted her as his shishya. When it was time for Sage Matanga to leave his corporeal body, he advised Sabari to continue her life of service. “One day, Lord Vishnu will arrive in human form and give you moksh, that is my promise to you. Ram will come for you, so wait for him…” he told her. Years went by and Sabari lived in the forest offering service, waiting for Lord Ram. Now she was an old woman and walked with support but she made sure to decorate her hut with flowers and pluck berries for him. She tasted the berries and collected the sweet ones in a basket for Ram. This went on for years and one day, when she was feeble and eyesight weak, Ram arrived at her hut and ate the berries she had collected for him.

Trijata is another rakshasi (demoness) assigned to guard Sita who was kidnapped by the demon-king of Lanka Ravana. In later adaptations of Ramayana, Trijata is also described as the daughter of Vibhishana, brother of Ravana but why she plays the role of a daasi is unclear. Some versions of Ramayan depict Trijata accompanying Sita on a survey of the battlefield of the war between Rama and Ravana.  When Sita sees her husband unconscious and presumes him dead it is Trijata who assures Sita that all will be well soon.