Story of Kaikasī

Mother of Rāvaṇa.

Birth.

From the wrath of Brahmā the giant Praheti was born and from Brahmā’s hunger the demigod Heti was born. The son Vidyutkeśa was born to Heti, of Bhayā the sister of Kāla (God of death—Time). Vidyutkeśa married Sālakaṭaṅkā the daughter of Sandhyā. A son named Sukeśa was born to them. Sukeśa married Devavatī daughter of Maṇimaya, a Gandharva. Three sons Mālyavān, Sumālī and Mālī were born to them. The three brothers Mālyavān, Sumālī and Mālī married Sundarī, Ketumatī and Vasudhā respectively, the three daughters of Narmadā, a gandharva woman. To Sumālī, by his wife Ketumatī, were born the ten sons, Prahasta, Akampana, Vikaṭa, Kālakāmukha, Dhūmrākṣa, Daṇḍa, Supārśva, Saṃhrāda, Prākvāta and Bhāsakarṇa and four daughters Vekā (Bṛhā), Puṣpotkaṭā, Kaikasī and Kumbhīnasī.

Marriage.

As Sumālī was walking through forests with his wives and daughters, he saw so many Yakṣas (demi-gods) going in planes to pay homage to Vaiśravaṇa. Sumālī understood that Vaiśravaṇa became worthy of homage because he was the son of Viśravas. So he took his daughter Kaikasī and left her in the house of Viśravas. After a while, being pleased with her services, Viśravas took her as his wife. Once she requested her husband for children. Accordingly she got Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa and Vibhīṣaṇa as sons.