Rambha- Hindu DemonDemon"Asura King"

Penance for a Son

Rambha was a king among the asuras who burned with the ambition to father a son powerful enough to overthrow the gods. He stood amid five fires in summer and immersed himself in freezing water in winter, sustaining himself on air alone. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, he directed his penance to Agni, who appeared after many years and granted a boon: Rambha would father a son of matchless power through whomever he next desired.

Union with the She-Buffalo

Returning from his penance, Rambha encountered a she-buffalo and was seized by desire for her. Agni's boon had placed no stipulation about the mother's form. From their union, Mahishasura was conceived: a being who inherited his father's asura nature and his mother's buffalo form, able to shift between human and animal shapes at will.

Death

Rambha did not survive to see his son's rise. While leading the pregnant she-buffalo home, a rival male buffalo attacked and killed her. Rambha, overwhelmed by grief, threw himself onto her funeral pyre. From the flames, the infant Mahishasura emerged unharmed, born from fire as his father had worshipped fire. The orphaned demon was raised by other asuras. He grew to conquer the three worlds and drive the gods from heaven.