Tataka

Tatakā or Taraka (ताड़का) or Tadaka or Thataka (Telugu:Thataki; Tamil: Tatakai; Thai: Kannada (Thataki) Kakanasun, from Sanskrit Kākanāsura, "Crow Demoness"; Malay: Jagina) was a Yaksha princess-turned-demoness in the epic Ramayana. Her father Suketu, a yaksha king performed tapasya (Principle and practice of physical and spiritual austerity and discipline to achieve a particular aim) for an offspring. Suketu had desired a son, but Lord Brahma blessed him with a strong and beautiful daughter. She was a beautiful princess that was wooed by and married Sumali, an Asura King. She had two sons Maricha and Subahu and a daughter, Kaikesi.

Tataka and Sumali schemed to marry off Kaikesi to the Rishi Vishrava in order to obtain progeny that would be all-powerful and rule over all the three worlds. They orchestrated their daughter's "chance encounter" with Vishrava, whereupon the Rishi, although already married, fell in love with Kaikesi and through her, fathered Ravana, the mighty Asura King of Lanka, Vibhishana, Kumbhakarna and Soorpanaka, all of whom would later play important roles in the immortal epic, the Ramayana