Another curious class of Gosains are the Rawanvansis, who go about
in the character of Rawan, the demon king of Ceylon, as he was when
he carried off Sita. The legend is that in order to do this, Rawan
first sent his brother in the shape of a golden deer before Rama's
palace. Sita saw it and said she must have the head of the deer, and
sent Rama to kill it. So Rama pursued it to the forest, and from there
Rawan cried out, imitating Rama's voice. Then Sita thought Rama was
being attacked and told his brother Lachman to go to his help. But
Lachman had been left in charge of her by Rama and refused to leave
her, till Sita said he was hoping Rama would be killed, so that he
might marry her. Then he drew a circle round her on the ground, and
telling her not to step outside it until his return, went off. Then
Rawan took the disguise of a beggar and came and begged for alms from
Sita. She told him to come inside the magic circle and she would give
him alms, but he refused. So finally Sita came outside the circle,
and Rawan at once seized her and carried her off to Ceylon. The
Rawanvansi Gosains wear rings of hair all up their arms and a rope
of hair round the waist, and the hair of their head hanging down. It
would appear that they are intended to represent some animal. They
smear vermilion on the forehead, and beg only at twilight and never at
any other time, whether they obtain food or not. In begging they will
never move backwards, so that when they have passed a house they cannot
take alms from it unless the householder brings the gift to them.