The saga of Lanka Dahan begins with the intense search for Sita, the wife of Prince Rama, who had been abducted by the demon king Ravana. Hanuman, the son of the wind-god Vayu and a loyal general of the Vanara army, was tasked with the most difficult portion of the search: crossing the vast southern ocean to reach the fortress-island of Lanka. Standing upon the peaks of Mount Mahendra, Hanuman invoked his divine lineage and expanded his body to monumental proportions. With a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of the earth, he leaped into the sky, his shadow covering the sea like a dark cloud. During his flight, he overcame various obstacles—the mountain Mainaka offered him rest, the serpent-mother Surasa tested his wit, and the demoness Simhika tried to swallow him by catching his shadow. Through agility and divine strength, Hanuman reached the shores of Lanka, a city described in the ancient texts as a masterpiece of golden architecture and impenetrable defenses.
Upon entering the city under the cover of night, Hanuman was awestruck by the opulence of Ravana’s capital. The city was built upon the Trikuta Hills and was filled with towering palaces, gardens of eternal bloom, and streets paved with precious stones. After an exhaustive search through the royal quarters and the harem, Hanuman finally located Sita in the Ashoka Vatika, a grove of Ashoka trees. She was surrounded by fierce demonesses, appearing like a thin crescent moon obscured by heavy clouds. Hanuman observed from the branches of a tree as Ravana himself arrived to threaten and court her, only to be rebuffed by Sita’s unwavering devotion to Rama. Once Ravana departed, Hanuman approached Sita, gaining her trust by showing her Rama's signet ring. He offered to carry her back across the sea, but Sita, upholding the code of dharma, insisted that Rama himself must come to defeat the demon king and reclaim her honor.
Before leaving Lanka, Hanuman decided to test the strength of the enemy and leave a lasting impression of the power of Rama’s army. He began to uproot the trees of the Ashoka Vatika and demolish the ornate pavilions. This act of destruction quickly alerted the palace guards. Ravana sent various warriors to capture the intruder, including the Kinkaras and his own son, Aksha Kumar. Hanuman defeated them all with ease, using his massive strength and a heavy iron bolt from the city gates. Finally, Ravana sent his eldest and most powerful son, Indrajit, the conqueror of Indra. Indrajit realized that ordinary weapons could not bind the divine Vanara, so he unleashed the Brahmastra, the most powerful celestial weapon. Out of respect for the creator-god Brahma, Hanuman chose not to resist the weapon and allowed himself to be bound and dragged into Ravana’s royal court.
In the grand hall of the palace, Hanuman stood before the ten-headed King of Lanka. Undaunted by the splendor and the terrifying presence of the Rakshasa lords, Hanuman introduced himself as the messenger of Rama. He lectured Ravana on the principles of righteousness and warned him that his arrogance would lead to the total destruction of his race if he did not return Sita. Enraged by the monkey’s audacity, Ravana initially ordered Hanuman’s execution. However, his brother Vibhishana intervened, pointing out that it was against the laws of diplomacy to kill an envoy. Agreeing with this logic but still desiring to punish Hanuman, Ravana ordered that the monkey’s tail—the source of a primate's pride—be set on fire and that he be paraded through the streets of the city as a mark of shame.
As the Rakshasas began to wrap Hanuman’s tail in cotton rags soaked in oil, Hanuman used his mystic powers to lengthen his tail further and further. The demons brought more and more cloth and oil, eventually exhausting the city’s entire supply, yet the tail continued to grow. Once the tail was finally ignited, the Rakshasas cheered and led Hanuman through the streets of Lanka. Meanwhile, Sita, hearing of Hanuman’s predicament, prayed fervently to Agni, the god of fire, asking him to remain cool and harmless to Hanuman. Due to Sita’s purity and Agni’s respect for the divine messenger, the fire did not burn Hanuman’s skin; instead, it felt like a soothing balm. Realizing the fire was harmless, Hanuman decided it was time to strike. He shrunk his size to slip out of his bonds and then expanded once more, leaping onto the rooftops of the golden city.
With his tail ablaze like a massive torch, Hanuman leaped from building to building. He targeted the most significant structures of the city—the armories, the stables, the granaries, and the mansions of the wealthy Rakshasa lords. The golden walls of Lanka, which once glittered in the sun, began to melt and crumble under the intense heat of the divine conflagration. The fire spread rapidly, fueled by the very oil and rags the demons had used to mock him. The air was filled with the screams of the Rakshasas and the roaring of the flames. Hanuman avoided the dwelling of Vibhishana, recognizing him as a righteous soul, and the Ashoka Vatika where Sita was sheltered. The rest of the city, however, was transformed into a sea of fire. The smoke rose so high it could be seen from the distant mainland, signaling the beginning of the end for Ravana’s empire.