Revanta

Revanta
The divine master of horses
Affiliation	Deva
Mount	Horse

Revanta or Raivata (Sanskrit: रेवन्त, lit. "brilliant") is a minor Hindu deity. According to the Rig-Veda, Revanta is the youngest son of the sun-god Surya, and his wife Ragyi. Revanta is chief of the Guhyakas (गुह्यक), semi-divine and demonic class entities – like the Yakshas – who are believed to live as forest dwellers in the Himalayas. Images and sculptures of Revanta often show him as a huntsman on a horse, with a bow and arrow.

Revanta is the brother of the Aswinikumar the God of healing and son of the Sun God.

The tale of Revanta's birth is narrated in scriptures like Vishnu Purana and Markandeya Purana. Once, Sanjna, the daughter of celestial architect Vishvakarma and wife of Surya, unable to take the fervour of the Sun-god, repaired to the forests to engage in devout austerities in the form of a mare. She placed her shadow Chhaya, who looked just like Sanjna in her position as Surya's wife. When Surya realised that Chhaya was not the real Sanjna, he searched for Sanjna and finally found her in the forests of Uttar Kuru. There, Surya approached Sanjna disguised as a horse. Their union produced the twin-Ashvins and Revanta. In Kurma Purana and Matsya Purana, the mother of Revanta is named Rajni, another wife of Surya. While in another chapter of Markandeya Purana, he is son of Chhaya and his brothers are the Saturn-god Shani and Savarni Manu.

Markandeya Purna further adds he was assigned the duty as chief of Guhyakas by Surya and to protect mortals "amid the terrors of forests and other lonely places, of great conflagration, of enemies and robbers." Sometimes, Revanta is depicted as combating robbers in reliefs.

Another tale from the Devi Bhagavata Purana has a passing reference to Revanta. Once when Revanta – riding on the seven headed horse Uchaishravas – went to Vishnu's abode, Vishnu's wife goddess Lakshmi was mesmerized with the horse and ignored a question asked by the Lord. Thus, she was cursed by her husband to become a mare.