Simhika () is a

rakshasi Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma when ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

. She appears in the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

, as a foe of the

vanara In Hindu, Vanara ( sa, वानर, , forest-dwellers) are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human- ...

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and ...

, by whom she is slain.

Legend

In the Ramayana, after meeting Mainaka, when Hanuman was crossing the ocean to

Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks kn ...

, the kingdom of the

rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...

-king

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...

. Simhika was hiding in the ocean. Even as he flew overhead, she captured Hanuman's shadow with her magic. According to one account, forewarned about this creature by Sugriva, he expanded his size, and observed her vulnerability when she followed suit. He turned himself small and allowed her to swallow him, ripping her apart from within, slaying her before he resumed his journey. In other accounts, he merely kicked her to death.

References

External links

* {{cite book , title=Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DvYWDAAAQBAJ&q=sinhika+hindu&pg=PA293 , year=2016 , page=294 , isbn=9780786495054 , last1=Bane , first1=Theresa Characters in the Ramayana Rakshasa in the Ramayana Rakshasa