In Hindu mythology, Maya (Sanskrit: मय), or Mayāsura (मयासुर) was a great ancient king of the asuras, daityas and rākṣasa races. Maya was known for his brilliant architecture. In Mahabharatha, Mayasabha – the hall of illusions – was named after him

Mayasura had befriended a snake named Takshaka and lived with him in the area of Khandavprastha along with his family and friends but when the Pandavas came there after the partition of Hastinapur, Arjun burnt the entire forest, forcing Takshaka to flee away and killing everyone in the forest. So, Mayasura decided to surrender to the Pandavas. Krishna was ready to forgive him and for this act, Mayasura built a very grand palace named Maya-Mahal, where the Pandavas would perform the Rajsuya Yagna. He also offer him the gifts like, a bow, a sword and many more. He also gave a mace to Arjuna's brother Bhima.

In Ramayana he is said to be the son of Daksha's daughter, Diti (wife of Kashyapa, a Saptaṛṣi).^[1] He is the husband of Hema^[2] and the foster father of Mandodari, the beautiful wife of Ravana, King of Lanka.^[3]