File:The_three-headed_rakshasa_Trishiras_sits_in_lalitasana_on_a_throne_facing_a_fire_altar_in_which_a_severed_head_is_burning.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Rakshasa
Sign in to saveAlso known as Rakshasalar, rakshalar
Rakshasa (; ; ) are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Indonesian folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disrupting Vedic sacrifices or eating humans.
Key facts
- Mythical creature.name
- Rakshasa
- Mythical creature.image
- The three-headed rakshasa Trishiras sits in lalitasana on a throne facing a fire altar in which a severed head is burning.jpg
- Mythical creature.caption
- Illustration of the three-headed rakshasa Trisiras sitting in lalitasana on a throne facing a fire altar in which a severed head is burning, 1830
- Mythical creature.Grouping
- Demigod
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Ba Lue Statue at Mal La Mu.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- native label
- La Sát
- Commons category
- Rakshasa
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Hinduism
- In Puranas
- Description
- In Hindu epics
- In the ''Rāmāyaṇa''
- In the ''Mahabharata''
- Buddhism
- Jainism
- Islam
- Artistic and folkloric depictions
- In fiction
- In languages
- See also
- Citations
- General and cited references
- Further reading
- External links
Rakshasa (; ; ) are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Indonesian folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disrupting Vedic sacrifices or eating humans.
The term is also used to describe asuras, a class of power-seeking beings that oppose the benevolent devas. They are often depicted as antagonists in Hindu scriptures, as well as in Buddhism and Jainism. The feminine form of rakshasa is rakshasi (, , ).