Who Were Rakshasas In Hindu Mythology - Mysterious Beings Of India

In Hindu mythology, a variety of mystical beings existed in past ages, one of them was the Rakshasas, a race of malevolent beings. Rakshasas existed in Treta and Dwapara Yuga, and the female form of Rakshasa is Rakshasi. Wild and monstrous in appearance, they were considered powerful enough to be expert magicians and shapeshifters. Rakshasas could take any form they wished, usually, appearing as animals, as monsters, or in the case of the female demons, as beautiful women. They were considered cannibals or man-eaters who used to kill humans and eat their flesh. 

Generally, the terms Rakshasas and Asuras are used to describe the same beings, but actually, they were two different beings. Asuras were a class of power-seeking beings dwelling inside the earth, considered as enemies of the benevolent devas while Rakshasas were elusive beings possessing supernatural powers residing on Earth, who engaged in evil acts such as disrupting Vedic rituals or eating humans. The powers of the Rakshasas increased during the night and it was almost impossible to fight them on the night of Amavasya. 

The Rakshasas did not tolerate the progress of the humans, so often they used to make the penance and Yagya or Hawan (any ritual done in front of a sacred fire) of the sages unsuccessful. The description of these beings is found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain scriptures. 

In Ramayana, we find many incidents of Rakshasas like during exile Lord Shri Rama meets Shurpanakha who gets fascinated by him. She also approached Rama's younger brother, Lakshmana, who cut off her nose. Shurpanakha was a rakshasi who was the sister of Ravana (a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka). After the abduction of Sita, when Rama sets out in search of Sita, he encounters a Rakshasa named Viradha. The demon could not die even after thousands of blows from Rama, forcing Rama to bury him alive in the ground. 

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Even in the Mahabharata period, we have many references related to Rakshasas, such as they have been described as forest-dwelling beings who possessed magical powers. During the exile, the Pandavas encountered a Rakshasa named Hidimbasura, who is said to be a ferocious demon. He lived with his sister Hidimba. He had sharp teeth and could smell human flesh from a distance. One day Hidimbasura sent his sister Hindiba to search for food in the forest, but there Hindiba saw the five Pandavas along with their mother Kunti. Hindiba was a very beautiful rakshasi, who became enamored of Bhima after meeting the Pandavas. 

Hindiba reveals her brother's plan to the Pandavas and does not kill them, which angers her brother greatly. Enraged, Hidimbasura then attacked the Pandavas, during which Bhima killed him and freed the Pandavas and others from his fear. Hidimba and Bhima got married there in the forest with the consent of Kunti and later, they had a son named Ghatotkacha. Ghatotkacha was also very powerful and was one of the main characters of the Mahabharata.