rakshasas
The most powerful and numerous Demons of the Indian underworld, feared as cannibals, vampires, night stalkers, assassins, “dark faces,” and biters. Rakshasa means “to guard” and refers to the Demons’ task of guarding the elixir of immortality found on the floor of the ocean.

The rakshasas are ruled by RAVANA and live on the island of Lanka. They haunt burial grounds, reanimate dead bodies, and cannibalize people. They have a multitude of grotesque shapes, with the heads of Serpents or animals, two to four crooked legs, and long sharp teeth. Some are beautiful, however, and go about in magnificent clothing.

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.