The Danavas in Vedic mythology, were a race of the Asuras. In Hindu mythology, the Asura are a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes misleadingly referred to as demons. ...

The Danavas were the sons of Danu, who was a daughter of Daksha. They revolted against the gods under the leadership of Bali^[1], and others, and were defeated.^[2] In the Rig Veda, nearly all the demons described as being defeated by the Devas are Danavas. In Hinduism, Daksha is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas, and a son of Aditi and Brahma. ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ... Deva (देव in Devanagari script, pronounced as dévÉ™) is the Sanskrit word for god, deity. It can be variously interpreted as a spirit, demi-god, celestial being, angel, deity or any supernatural being of high excellence. ...

After their defeat, the Danavas were cast into the deepest oceans and locked their forever by Indra,^[1] or sometimes Rudra.^[3] herro For other uses, see Indra (disambiguation). ... Rudra (Howler) is a Rigvedic god of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature and the Wind. ...

Historical basis

Some argue for an historical basis for the Vedic stories, and that the Danavas, and other defeated beings (Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Nagas, et cetera) were non-Aryan tribes. This is supported by non-Vedic legends and mythologies, for example Naga legends.^[4][3][5][6] The Danavas in the Mahabharata have been identified with the Ksatriya kings with an associated date of about 3,200 BCE. Nagas were a group of people spread throughout India during the period of the epic Mahabharata. ... Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra The (Devanagari: ), is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . ... Kshatriya (Hindi: , from Sanskrit: , ) is the title of the princely military order in the Vedic society. ...

Greek counterpart

The Danavas descendants of Danu are sometimes conflated with the Danai descendants of Danaus. ^[7] Danaus, or Danaos (sleeper) was a Greek mythological character, twin brother of Aegyptus and son of Belus, a mythical king of Egypt. ... Danaus, or Danaos (sleeper) was a Greek mythological character, twin brother of Aegyptus and son of Belus, a mythical king of Egypt. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Rose, Carol (2000) Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, p. 94, ISBN 0874369886 ;
2. ^ Munro, W. D. (1911) Stories of Indian Gods & Heroes Harrap, London;
3. ^ ^{a b} Elst, Koenraad (1999) Update on the Aryan Invasion Debate Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi, ISBN 81-86471-77-4 ;
4. ^ Chakravarti, Balaram (2000) A cultural history of the North-East India: Assam Self Employment Bureau, Calcutta,
5. ^ Frawley, David (1991) Gods, Sages and Kings Passage Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, ISBN 1878423088 ;
6. ^ Frawley, David (2001) The Rig Veda and the history of India: Rig Veda Bharata itihasa Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi, ISBN 8177420399 ;
7. ^ Faber, George Stanley (1816) The Origin of Pagan Idolatry Ascertained from Historical Testimony and Circumstantial Evidence F. & C. Rivingtons, London, pp. 589-594;