In the course of his search for Seetha, Hanuman noticed yonder a palace shining with the golden hue of the sun, surrounded by a compound wall and guarded by horrible and ferocious rakshasas, like a forest by rapacious lions. That palace had a surprising number of archways decorated with silver and gold, strange but captivating entrances with beautiful doors. It was also guarded by men on elephants, warriors devoid of tiredness, drivers of elephants, insuperable horses, and by charioteers. Guards with protective shields made of the skins of lion and tiger, decorated with ivory, gold and silver, were roaming by strange chariots which were making great fearsome sound.
Hanuman further observed that palace was filled with a lot of diamond studded seats and utensils, abode of great warriors with great chariots. Filled all around with various kinds of lovely and beautiful animals and birds in thousands it was well protected by well trained rakshasas, and the inner area filled all over by attractive and important women. Hanuman noted that all those women were very happy and enjoying their life there and roaming joyously with the tinkling of the beautiful jewellery they were wearing creating a sound like that of an ocean.
Hanuman noted that the roof of that wealthy palace was embedded with top quality diamonds. He concluded in his mind that the palace, which was shining with its form filled with elephants, horses, chariots, etc. to be the jewel of Lanka. He correctly surmised that the palace was that of Ravana.
Hanuman moved about from one house to another of the Rakshasas and also parks and courtyards. He looked in the houses of Prahasta and Mahaparshva. Thereafter he looked into the house of Kumbhakarna which resembled a cloud. Then he looked into the house of Vibhishana. Thereafter he covered the houses of Mahodara, Virupaaksha, Viddutjihva, Suka, Sarana and Indrajit.
Then Hanuman looked into the houses of Jambumali, Sumali, Rasmiketu, Suryaketu, Vajrakaaya, jumumrah, Sampati, Vidhudrupa, Bhiima, Ghana, Vighana, Sukhana, Vakra, Satha, Vikata, Brahmakarna, Damshra, Roma, Raksha, Ydhonmata, Indrajihva, Hastimuka, Karala, Pisacha and the building of Shonita.
The indomitable son of Vayu was relentlessly checking in sequence the palaces of all rakshasas. Then he reached the house of Ravana. Hanuman cautiously entered into that palace and found some rakshasies sleeping near Ravana. Hanuman was astonished and horrified to see some of those rakshashies had horrific eyes, some had spear in their hands, some were holding in their hands some kind of grass, some were holding javelin and some were holding lance. He saw in that house of Ravana a variety of army divisions and also Rakshasas who had huge bodies having different weapons.
Hanuman in that house found horses in red, white and slightly whitish complexion. He noted that all of them were capable of great intrepidity. He also saw elephants of good breed with good appearance capable of harassing enemy's elephants, skilled in good elephant training. They all seemed to be as capable as Iraavata (personal elephant of Indra) and seemed to be capable of killing enemy armies, rutting like raining clouds, like mountains with water falls that are pouring down, with trumpeting resembling thundering of clouds, unassailable by enemies.
Hanuman observed in the palace of Ravana palanquins of various shapes, wonderful bowers, art galleries and other pleasure houses which were constructed with wooden mountains, for sexual delight.
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