Akṣa (Aksha) was a rākṣasa (rakshasa) or demon born of Rāvaṇa (Ravana) to Mandodarī (Mandodari). He was valiant, strong, skilled in warfare, and had a gigantesque figure. His eyes bore the ferocity of a lion’s. He always adorned himself in gold bracelets and amulets.

Prince Akśa observed numerous rigorous austerities and eventually received a splendid chariot drawn by eight horses which neither the gods nor the demons could defeat. Quivers, spears and lances were mounted on various parts of the chariot for defence against the enemy. Eight swords were set up on wooden stands placed on eight flanks of the chariot. The chariot itself was embellished with precious stones and its flagstaff was decorated with banners and golden chains. It was appropriate for traversing the skies and rugged mountainous terrains.

When Hanumān (Hanuman), who had come to Laṅkā (Lanka) to look for Sītā (Sita), completely destroyed the Aśoka (Ashoka) garden (Aśokavana), Rāvaṇa  sent quite a few of his best rākṣasa warriors to punish him. However, all of them perished at Hanumān’s hands. Rāvaṇa then sent five of his ministers to complete this task. But even they were killed in the altercation. Finally, Rāvaṇa sent Prince Akṣa to restrain him. Prince Akṣa set out for the battlefield along with his soldiers and generals. The two camps met, and a fierce battle ensued between Hanumāna and Akṣa. Even though Akṣa was young, he put up a tremendous fight against Hanumāna. His strength increased as the battle raged on; this made Hanumāna even more anxious. Hanumāna realised that as the battle continued, Akṣa, too, would continue to develop in power on the battlefield—

na khalvayaṃ nābhibhavedupekṣitaḥ/ parākramo hyasya raṇe vivarddhite;

pramāpaṇaṃ hyasya mamādya rocate/ na vardhamāno’gnirupekṣituṃ kṣamaḥ.

With this idea in mind, Hanumān first killed the horses that pulled Akṣa’s chariot. When Akṣa stormed at Hanumān on foot, the latter caught his feet, swung him up in the air and flung him away. Thus Akṣa met his end.