Mandodari was the daughter of Mayasura, the King of the Asuras (demons), and the apsara (celestial nymphs) Hema.

According to some Ramayana adaptations, Mandodari is also the mother of Rama's wife Sita, who is infamously kidnapped by Ravana.

She repeatedly advises Ravana to return Sita to Rama, but her advice falls on deaf ears.

In a version of Ramayana, Hanuman tricks her into disclosing the location of a magical arrow which Rama uses to kill Ravana.

Many versions of Ramayana state that after Ravana's death, Vibhishana—Ravana's younger brother who joins forces with Rama, does so on Mandodari's advice.

The Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana mentions that Mayasura visited Svarga (heaven), where the apsara Hema was given to him by the gods.

They have two sons, Mayavi and Dundubhi, but long for a daughter, so they start performing penances to seek the favour of the god Shiva.

Meanwhile, an apsara named Madhura arrives at Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva, to pay her respects.

Shiva told Madhura that she will become a beautiful woman and be married to a great valorous man.

[3] In another Telugu tale and the Kuchipudi dance tradition, Ravana asks Shiva for Parvati as his wife.

[5] Mandore, a town located 9 km north of Jodhpur, is believed to be the native place of Mandodari.

[9] When all attempts for a peaceful return of Sita fail, Rama declares war on Ravana's Lanka.

While Mandodari is engrossed in worshipping the goddess Parvati for Ravana's wellbeing, Hanuman comes to her disguised as a hermit.

[19] While the Ramayana of Valmiki is silent on Mandodari's fate after Ravana's death,[citation needed] many versions of Ramayana state that after the death of Ravana, Rama advises Vibhishana to take Mandodari as his wife, even though he already had a wife.

[20] Mandodari may have agreed to marry Vibhishana, her younger brother-in-law, as this would lead the kingdom to prosperity and stability as allies of Rama's Ayodhya, and she would continue to have a say in governance.

The Adbhuta Ramayana narrates: Ravana used to store the blood of sages he killed in a large pot.

[21][22] The Devi Bhagavata Purana says: When Ravana wants to marry Mandodari, Maya warns him that her horoscope indicated her first-born would destroy her clan and should be killed.

Ignoring Maya's advice, Ravana buries his first child by Mandodari in a casket in Janaka’s city, where it is discovered and grew up as Sita.

Rama's father has a union with this pseudo-Mandodari, resulting in the birth of Sita, who is nominally Ravana's daughter.

[24] According to the Ananda Ramayana, king Padmaksha had a daughter named Padma - an incarnate of the goddess Lakshmi.

Ravana discovers her body, which had turned into five jewels, in the fire and takes it to Lanka sealed in a box.

[21] Ahalyā draupadi sita tārā mandodari tathā pañcakanyā smarenityaṃ mahapātaka nāśanaṃ

[25] Hindus remember the panchakanya - the five maidens in this daily prayer, though none of them is considered an ideal woman who could be emulated.

[10] The writer Dhanalakshmi Ayyer says:[10] Her story is a reminder that the universal denigration of a group, based on the behaviour of a few, cannot cloud the greatness of the individual.

She is simple, unswerving, and self-effacing, driven by the light of knowledge which gives meaning to solid materialism in an age that is shrouded by impulse, passion, and desire.

Her image lacks substance and fades quickly",[9] though he lays stress on her love and loyalty towards her husband.

[27] Pradip Bhattacharya, author of the book Panchkanya: Women of Substance notes that "there is hardly anything special that Valmiki (Ramayana) has written about her (Mandodari) except that she warns her husband to return Sita and has enough influence to prevent his [sic] raping her.