There is a great deal of debate about whether there is any historical accuracy in the story of Ramayana. For many of us, this is a no-brainer. The fact that our elders had told us the heroic story of Lord Ram's victory over Raavan was enough. And then there's the if-there's-a-TV-show-about-it-it-must've-happened crowd. But that's not how history works. There are many things about the Ramayana that are absolutely mythological. A demon king with ten heads? Yeah, right. Talking monkeys? Nope. Didn't exist. Demon uncle that could morph into a deer? Don't think so. A flying chariot? No way. Demi-god who could take the form of a vulture? Again, no. But here's the thing - Ramayana wasn't originally written as a historical text but as an epic poem. Whether we like it or not, creative liberty was a thing back then too. But if we remove all the myth from the story, it is basically about an exiled prince waging war against a king from another kingdom who kidnapped his wife. And that could have happened. We cannot prove or disprove anything. But at least we can present a list of places that are mentioned in the Ramayana.

Meanwhile, in Lanka, Raavan's devotion to Lord Shiva earned him the respect of the God. So much so that he built his devotee a temple. This is the only time when a temple is dedicated to the one who prayed and not the one being prayed to. Today, it exists as Koneswaram Temple in Sri Lanka.

Here's the part of the temple where Raavan has been idolized. While having 10 heads is an exaggeration, the idea is based on the fact that Raavan ruled 10 kingdoms which meant that he had 10 different crowns.