Mayasura

Maya ( Skt. मय ), or Mayyasura ( Skt. मयासुर ) in Hinduism is the ruler of asuras , daityas and rakshasas , the main architect of the lower worlds. It is described in the Mahabharata , Ramayana and Puranas , where he acts as a heroic person and as a father figure for various heroes from the Rakshasa, Asuras and Daityas. Mayasura was the father of Mandodari , the beautiful wife of the demonic ruler of Ravana . It is also described that Mayyasura was the creator and ruler of three flying cities known as Tripura . These were prosperous cities that had power over the whole world, but because of the wicked nature of their inhabitants, they were burned by Shiva . Mayasura, however, being a devotee of Shiva, escaped death.

The Ramayana describes how Mayyasura built his capital, calling it Mayyarashtra. According to the beliefs of Hindus, this city was located on the site of the present Meratha . The Mahabharata describes how, on behalf of Krishna , Mayyasura built a palace in Indraprastha for Arjuna's elder brother, King Yudhisthira . The main feature of the palace was its mirrored floors, which could be easily confused with the pool. The palace also had pools that were almost impossible to distinguish from mirrored floors. Duryodhana fell into one of these pools, for which he was ridiculed by Draupadi .