Kushadhvaja (Sanskrit: कुशध्वजा IAST: Kuśadhvaja) is the King of Samkasya and the younger brother of Janaka, the King of Mithila, in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was married to Chandrabhaga and is the father of Mandavi and Shrutakirti.[1]
| Kushadhvaja | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Samkasya | |
| Predecessor | Sudhanvan |
| Born | Mithila |
| Spouse | Chandrabhaga |
| Issue | Mandavi Shrutakirti |
| House | Videha |
| Dynasty | Suryavamsha |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Legend
editBirth
editKushadhvaja was born to King Hrasvaroman of Mithila and his wife Keikasi.[2] He is the younger brother of Janaka. The Videha kingdom was historically located between east of Gandaki River, west of Mahananda River, north of the Ganga river and south of the Himalayas.[3]
Marriage and children
editKushadhvaja was married to queen consort Chandrabhaga (Sanskrit: चंद्रभागा). Chandrabhaga first gave birth to Mandavi and later gave birth to his second daughter Shrutakirti.[4] Both his daughters were brought up in Mithila, along with Sita and Urmila.[5] Mandavi was married to Bharata while Shrutakirti was married to Shatrughna, both the younger brothers of Rama.[6][7]
King of Samkasya
editHe initially ruled the area around Rajbiraj His brother Janaka was the King of Mithila. During his rein the King of Samkasya, called Sudhanvan, attacked Mithila. Janaka killed Sudhanvan in the war, and crowned his brother Kushadhvaja as the King of Samkasya.[8]
References
edit- ^ H. L. Luthra (1988). Tales from Kalidasa. Ediciones Gamma S.A. p. 15. ISBN 9788120902282.
- ^ Lakshmi Lal (1988). The Ramayana. Orient Longman. p. 20. ISBN 9780861318056.
- ^ Jha, M. (1997). "Hindu Kingdoms at contextual level". Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. New Delhi: M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 27–42. ISBN 9788175330344.
- ^ Praśānta Guptā (1998). Vālmīkī Rāmāyaṇa. Dreamland Publications. p. 32. ISBN 9788173012549.
- ^ "Ramayana | Summary, Characters, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ Valmiki. The Ramayana. pp. 126–145.
- ^ Mishra, V. (1979). Cultural Heritage of Mithila. Allahabad: Mithila Prakasana. p. 13. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Janaka". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 11 September 2022.