Jalandhara was born when Shiva opened his third eye in his fury when Indra struck him with his thunderbolt.
17 Facts About Jalandhara
1.
2.
Jalandhara grew up to be a handsome man and was made the emperor of asuras by Shukra, their guru.
3.
Jalandhara was exceedingly powerful and was considered to be one of the mightiest asuras of all time.
4.
Jalandhara told him how Vishnu had severed Rahu's head during the episode of the Samudra Manthana.
5.
Jalandhara sent one of his messengers, Ghasmara, to Indra to ask him to return his father's treasures.
6.
Shukra counselled Jalandhara to uproot the mountain so that Brihaspati would be unable to employ the medicinal herbs to revive the devas.
7.
Jalandhara acquiesced and hurled the mountain Drona into the ocean.
8.
Jalandhara requested his brother-in-law Vishnu to stay in his eponymous city, bringing with him his followers and his wife, Lakshmi.
9.
Jalandhara confiscated all the jewels that the devas and the gandharvas had hoarded during the Samudra Manthana and ruled virtuously, with nobody in his realm sick or lean.
10.
On being asked the purpose of his visit by Jalandhara, he described the beauty of Kailasha where Shiva lived, and that he wondered if any other place matched its beauty.
11.
Jalandhara sent his messenger Rahu to Shiva and accused him of hypocrisy, pointing out that Shiva claimed to be an ascetic but kept a wife, Parvati.
12.
Meanwhile, Jalandhara disguised himself as Shiva and went to Parvati in order to trick her.
13.
The goddess meditated on Vishnu, and when he appeared, she demanded that he deceive Vrinda, just like Jalandhara had tried to deceive her.
14.
Vishnu caused Vrinda to dream that Jalandhara had been killed by Shiva.
15.
Jalandhara recognised that it was Vishnu in disguise, and curses him that someday someone would trick his own wife just like how he had tricked her, that he would roam about in distress with Shesha, and that he would seek the help of monkeys.
16.
Jalandhara, hearing of this deception and his wife's death, was enraged and left Mount Kailasha, returning to the battlefield.
17.
Towards the end of the battle, when most of Jalandhara's army had been slaughtered, Shiva beheaded him with a chakra created from his toe.