Shurpanakha

Shurpanakha
Rama rejects Shurpanakha
AffiliationRakshasi
AbodeLanka
TextsRamayana and its versions
Genealogy
Parents
SiblingsRavana (brother)
Vibhishana (brother)
Kumbhakarna (brother)
SpouseVidyutajihvā

Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, IAST: śūrpaṇakhā, lit.'she whose fingernails are like winnowing fans'), is a rakshasi (demoness) in Hindu epic. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic Ramayana and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's king, Ravana, and the daughter of the sage Vishrava and the rakshasi Kaikeshi. Shurpanakha's role in the original epic is small, yet significant.[1]

  1. ^ Johnson, W.J. (2009). A Dictionary of Hinduism (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001. ISBN 9780191726705.