Even as Meerut burns Ravana on Dussehra, the city remembers him as son-in-law
Even as Meerut burns Ravana's effigy on Dussehra every year, the city has a special relationship with the King of Lanka. Meerut is believed to be the hometown of Mandodari, the daughter of Maya, the King of Danavas and the great architect in Indian mythology who built palaces and cities for both gods and asurs
prativad 
Even as the nation worships Lord Rama on Dussehra and celebrates the slaying of Ravana, the King of Lanka, there is one city that continues to honour Ravana in its own unique way — and yet burns his effigy every year.
For Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Ravana is not just the villain of Hindu epic Ramayana. For the city, he is a son-in-law.
The ancient city of Meerut traces its roots to both of the great Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Interestingly, both the epics link Meerut to Maya, the King of Danavas, who is also sometimes spelt as Mae in English. The city is named after him.
The lore has it that the city was established by Maya Danava and was called Mayarashtra. Over the course of the time, the name evolved into Maedant ka Khera (the mound of Maedant) and eventually Merath. The Anglicisation with the advent of the British ensured that the city came to spelt as Meerut.
The Ramayana says that Maya was the father of Mandodari, the principal wife of Ravana. As the hometown of Ravana’s wife, Meerut has long been known in the region as ‘Ravan ki Sasural’ [Ravana’s in-laws’ home]. The lore is rooted such in the city’s culture that families of women marrying a man from the city have often teased their sons-in-law by calling them Ravana — often adorably but certainly during tussles too!
King Maya of Meerut and connection to Ravana
As is the case with many figures in Hindu mythology, King Maya of Danavas finds mention in both Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In 19th century, as the British were going about documenting the history, culture, geography, and demographics of the newly-conquered territories, they noted Meerut’s link to the epics.
In the ‘Imperial Gazetteer of India (Volume 17, 1909)’, the British noted that while the exact origin of the name of Meerut is uncertain, it appears to be derived from ‘Mahi’, the architect of Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandava brother in Mahabharata. The ‘Mahi’ is the Anglicised corruption of Maya.
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