Ramayana | Rama and Lakshmana seated on Kabandha's arms, about to sever them. Kabandha is depicted with a big mouth on his stomach and no head or neck; though depicted with two eyes, the ''Ramayana'' describes him as one-eyed. (Painting on ceiling of temple in Ayodhyapattinam near Salem, Tamil Nadu | Kusha (Ramayana) | Kakawin Ramayana |
In the Aranya Kanda of Adhyatma Ramayana, the demon Kabandha narrates his story to Rama and Lakshmana, in which he says that he was a Gandharva earlier who was cursed by Ashtavakra to become a demon when he laughed on seeing him (Ashtavakra).