Taraka
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Taraka is the name of two characters from Hindu mythology.
Taraka (1) is a male daitya, whose powers were so great that the gods grew alarmed, and Skanda, the god of war, was born in order to defeat him.
Tarakâ (2; note the feminine ending) is a female daitya who was punished by the sage Agastya by being turned into a rakshasa, or demon. Although Rama was reluctant to kill a woman, he did slay Taraka in battle. Taraka's son, Maricha, is involved in the later events of the Ramayana.