Introduction

Raghuvamsa, in Hindu mythology is believed to be a lineage/race of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to Surya. Kalidasa's famous work, Raghuvamsha describes the greatness of this race. This was a race which produced great kings like Harishchandra, Dileepa, Raghu, Aja, Dasaratha and Rama. Lord Rama's father was Dasaratha, who was born to Aja. Aja's father was the great king Raghu, after whom the dynasty was also known as Raghuvamsa, or the race of Raghu. Raghu's father was emperor Dileepa.

About Emperor Dileepa

About Emperor Raghu

About Emperor Aja

Son of Raghu, he was married to Indumati. He was the father of Dasharatha.

Aja, was a valiant and loving son to Raghu, as Raghu was to Dilipa. Aja did many things in his lifetime. Ex. Aja freed a Gandharva (A Celestial Being), from a curse.

Aja was married to Indumati who was the sister of King Bhoja.Aja was givin a spear when he freed the Gadharva, the spear had the power to make enemys go to sleep. He used this spear in a battle, when he was defending Indumati. Aja was a great king, like his grandfather Dilipa, his father Raghu, his son Dasharatha, and his Grandsons, Rama

About Emperor Dasaratha

Dasharatha was the king of Ayodhya. He had three wives: Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.

At the time of marrying Kaikeyi, he assured her and her family that any son born to Kaikeyi would supersede his other sons and succeed him as king of Ayodhya. However, none of his three wives bore children for many years. Dasharatha then performed a sacrifice, the putra-kameshthi yagna, to secure the birth of a son. Four sons were the born to him: to Kaushalya was born Rama, to Kaikeyi Bharata, and Sumitra was blessed with twin sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The story of the lives of his children is the story of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.

Dasharatha was a young man when he accidentally killed Shravana Kumara while hunting in the forest one day. Shravana Kumara's parents cursed Dasharatha, saying that he too, like them, would die of longing for a much beloved son. This is what came to pass; Dasharatha died soon after Rama left for exile in the forest, accompanied by his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana.

About Emperor Rama

Refer to the pages on Rama, his consort Sita, and to the Ramayana, which is the story of their lives.