10 Amazing Stories Of Lord Hanuman you must know # 6

Why Images of Hanuman Ji are Used on Amulets and Jewelry

As the battle with Ravana progressed, the demon lost all his brothers and sons and it became clear that he was headed towards defeat. Finally, he sent for his only surviving son Mahiravana, a powerful sorcerer who ruled over the underworld (patala loka).

Mahiravana was a great devotee of Goddess Kali from whom he had obtained vital occult secrets. Initially, Mahiravana did not wish to join the fight against Rama since he felt the latter’s cause to be just. But understanding Mahiravana’s weakness for ritual magic Ravana addressed him thus: “Think of the powers the goddess Kali will grant you when you offer to her the heads of two handsome and virile youths like Rama and Lakshmana.

 Needless to say, Mahiravana agreed.

The great sorcerer Mahiravana managed to kidnap both Rama and his brother Lakshmana while they were sleeping. He left behind, in place of their bed, a dark trail stretching deep into the bowels of the earth. 

Hanuman immediately dived into the tunnel and made his way to patala, the subterranean kingdom of Mahiravana. There he found the two brothers tied to a post, their bodies anointed with mustard oil and bedecked with marigold flowers, ready to be sacrificed. Near them, Mahiravana was sharpening the sacrificial blade and chanting hymns to invoke the goddess.

To be continued…