{{Short description|King of the danavas in Hindu scriptures}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox deity | image = | alt = | caption = | abode = Talatala Loka | father = Kashyapa | mother = Danu | spouse = Hema (in the ''Ramayana'') | children = Mayavi<br>Dundubhi<br>Mandodari and Vyomasura | type = hindu | deity_of = Ruler of Talatala Loka | affiliation = Danava | siblings = }} '''Maya''' ({{langx|sa|मय}}) or '''Mayāsura''' ({{lang|sa|मयासुर}}), also called Maya Danava, is a figure in Hindu history, described as the king of the Danavas, a race of beings descending from Kashyapa and his wife Danu. He is known for his architectural expertise, credited with creating the Mayasabha (Hall of Illusions) for the Pandavas and Tripura (Three cities) for the sons of Tarakasura. In the ''Ramayana'', he is mentioned as the father-in-law of Ravana.{{sfn|Māṇi|1998|pp=580–581}} He is presented as an architect of Maya (the illusory material reality). In the Surya Siddhanta 1.02, '''Mayāsura''' is described as a Daitya who received divine astronomical knowledge from the Sun God sometime around the end of Satya Yuga.
== In the ''Mahabharata'' == Mayasura is mentioned to be a son of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Danu.{{sfn|Māṇi|1998|pp=580–581}}
Mayasura had befriended a Nāga named Takshaka and lived with him in the area of Khandavaprastha along with his family and friends, but when the Pandavas came there after the partition of Hastinapura, Arjuna burnt the entire forest, forcing Takshaka to flee and killing everyone else. This made Mayasura decide to surrender to the Pandavas. Krishna was ready to forgive him and in return, Mayasura built a grand palace named Mayasabha, where the Pandavas would perform the Rajasuya Yagna.
Mayasura also offers him gifts like a bow, a sword etc. He gives a mace to Arjuna's brother Bhima named Vrkodara.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mittal|first=J. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrh4tY3v2A4C&q=mayasura+in+Mahabharata&pg=PA491|title=History of Ancient India (A New Version)|date=2006|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0616-1|language=en}}</ref> In some versions of the Mahabharata he also gives Arjuna the Gandiva bow.
== In the ''Ramayana'' == The ''Uttara Kanda'' of the epic ''Ramayana'' mentions that during his visit to Svarga (heaven), Maya married an apsara (heavenly nymph) named Hema. They had two sons — Mayavi and Dundubhi — and a daughter Mandodari, who later married Ravana, the Rakshasa ruler of Lanka and the main antagonist of the epic. In some versions of the ''Ramayana'', Maya had another daughter named Dhanyamalini, who also married Ravana.
==In Folklores== In some folktales from Bengal, Mayasura is married to Oladevi, the goddess of cholera.<ref name="VI">[http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Oladevi Oladevi - Banglapedia]</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thewire.in/culture/corona-mata-and-the-pandemic-goddesses | title=Corona Mata and the Pandemic Goddesses }}</ref>
==See also== *Vishvakarma *Mara (demon) *Mamuni Mayan *Oladevi
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Ramayana}} {{Mahābhārata}} {{HinduMythology}}
Category:Danavas Category:Rakshasa in the Ramayana Category:Characters in the Mahabharata