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# “Ravana visits the moon”
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/moon-2414jsp/
- Published: 2005-04-10T23:04:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-17T11:52:26.000Z
- Author: Open democracy
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 19:17, #ImagesUploaded

![ravana visits the moon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/04/ravana-visits-the-moon_2_kGL2jDJ-1776425897649.jpg)

ravana visits the moon

Ravana visits the moon, illustration from the Ramayana, Udaipur, 1653

“Ravana, the ten-headed demon king, ascends higher and higher, travelling past the source of the Ganges, where elephants frolic in sacred waters. Two *garudas* (man-bird deities) and two birds approach from the left, indicating the aerial realms that Ravana traverses. The moon is symbolically shown on the right and the steel-grey background represents its icy climate. Brahma, creator of the universe, intervenes and begs Ravana to turn back.”

*With thanks to the* [*British Library*](http://www.imagesonline.bl.uk/britishlibrary/controller/subjectidsearch?id=12144&idx=1&start=4&ref=opendemocracy.net)