IKSHVAK LEGENDARY KINGS
Mandhata
Mandhata is IKSHVAKA KING ruled over Ayodaya, he is king born to his father's WOMB, His father YAVANASUR had 100 wives, but no children, king decided to take the Sage BHRIGU help. The king is frustrated that he is not blessed with children having 100 wife, then sage performed an operation and changes his sex to female and conceives him. The child was born is MANDHATA.
Mandhata adore the throne at the age of 14 and was a great ruler, his wives is Indumathi he had 3 sons PURUKUTSHA, AMBHARISHA, Muchakund. He had fought against the MIGHTY RAVANA and drove him away. Ravana relative LAVANASURUDU challenges Mandhata and kills him.
By mere willpower, he conquered many kingdom, he proceeded to vanquish the kings Marutta of Ushiraviga, Asita, the Druhyu king Angara, Nriga, Brihadratha of Anga, Suna, Jaya, Janamejaya, Sudhanvan, Gaya of Kanyakubja, Angara's son Gandhara, and several others in battle. Mandhatra conquered Patala, Bhuloka, and half of Svarga, and became the ruler of the three worlds.
The Mahabharata states that Mandhatra, the King of Ayodhya, gave away colossal statues of Rohita fish, entirely made up of pure gold and spanning several kilometres to the Brahmanas as a charity. He also gave away large no of cows of the best breed to the Brahmanas during his sacrifices. Mandhatra performed a hundred ashvamedha yajnas and a hundred rajasuya yajnas.
Muchukunda
Battle with the asuras The davas were once defeated by the asuras . They sought the refuge of the king named Muchukunda, described to be a great warrior and a pious man. King Muchukunda granted the devas shelter until they rallied themselves under kartikeya, the son of Shiva. After their triumph, the devas and their king, Indra, expressed their gratitude to the king for sacrificing his privileged position on earth to travel to Svarge to protect them. They revealed to him that an entire age had passed on earth, with the Treta Youg now having transitioned to the Dvapara Yuga. They informed him that his family had all died. They offered Muchukunda any boon of his choice for his services, with the exception of moksha (liberation), as it was beyond their capacities. Struck with grief upon learning that his family was no longer alive, and feeling exhausted after all the battles, he asked the devas for the boon of undisturbed sleep, with the provision that anyone who dared to disturb it would immediately be reduced to ashes. This boon was granted, and the king commenced his sleep in a cave. According to the Mahabharata, kalayavana, a great yavana warrior king, was undefeated and unmatched in battle due to a boon. Allied with Jarasandha, he set out to invade krishna's kingdom, Mathura. When the two armies faced each other in battle, Krishna dismounted from his chariot and retreated, followed by Kalayavana. After a long pursuit, Krishna, followed by Kalayavana, entered a dark cave. This was the same cave that Muchukunda was present within, still engaged in his slumber. Kalayavana, in a fit of anger and unable to see in the dark, attacked Muchukunda, mistaking him to be Krishna. When Muchukunda opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon Kalayavana, who was immediately burnt to ashes. After gaining his bearings, the king was delighted to see Krishna. Krishna advised him to perform tapas to cleanse his accumulated sins, to attain moksha ( liberation ). After meeting with the deity, Muchukunda set out of the cave. The story narrates that he was astonished to see all creatures had shrunken in size over time while he rested in the cave, indicating long ages gone by. Muchukunda then went to Gandhamadana Mountain for performing a penance.
AmbarishaAccording to this legend, Ambarisha was once engaged in a Ashvamedha Yagna at his capital Ayoudhya. During this ceremony, the horse of Ashvamedha was stolen by Indra. The priest conducting the ceremony told the king that he needed to find the animal, or perform a human sacrifice to avert the misfortune resulting from the situation. After being unable to find the animal, the king bought Shunahshepa, the son of a sage, for the sacrifice. Shunahshepa survived the sacrifice by reciting two hymns that the sage Vishwamitra had given him.
Trishanku
Trishanku is described to be a self-controlled, truthful, and righteous king in the Ikshvaku dynasty who wanted to ascend to Svarga in his own body. He approached the chief priest of the Ikshvaku dynasty, Vasistha , and later the priest's sons, to ask them if they would perform a sacrifice to help him secure such a place. Both Vasishtha and his sons refused Trishanku's request as impossible. When Trishanku told Vasishtha's sons of his intention to seek some other means to achieve his goal, they angrily cursed him so that he would physically transform into a chandala. Abandoned by everyone because of this transformation, the king then seeks the help and refuge of Vishvanitra, who agrees to do the sacrifice for him out of pity. When he performed the sacrifice, however, none of the devas came to take their portions when summoned. Enraged by this, Vishvamitra raises the king to Svarga by his own ascetic power. As soon the king reaches heaven, however, he is kicked out by Indra and the other devas because he was a chandala and thus deemed unworthy of ascending to Svarga in his body. Eventually, an enraged Vishvamitra, threatening to undermine Indra's authority, secures the king a place among new stars, constellation, and even devas he creates through his own ascetic power, albeit with his head downwards.Harishchandra
Harishchandra had one hundred wives, but no son. On advice of the sage Vasistha, he prayed to the deity Varuna for a son. Varuna granted the boon, in exchange for an assurance that Harishchandra would make a sacrifice to Varuna in the future. As a result of this boon, a son named Rohita (or Rohitashva) was born to the king. After his birth, Varuna came to Harishchandra and demanded that the child be sacrificed to him. The king postponed the sacrifice multiple times citing various reasons, but finally agreed to it when Rohita became an adult. Rohita refused to be sacrificed and escaped to the forest. An angry Varuna afflicted Harishchandra with a stomach illness. Rohita intermittently visited his father, but on the advice of Indra, never agreed to the sacrifice. Later, Rohita managed to substitute himself with Sunahshepa in the human sacrifice. Sunahshepa prayed to the Rigvedic deities, and was saved from the sacrifice. Harishchandra's illness was also cured because of Sunahshepa's prayers; Sunahshepa was adopted by the sage Vishvamitra.
King Harishchandra lived in the Treta Yuga. He was an honest, noble king. His subjects enjoyed prosperity and peace. He had a queen named Shaivya (also called Taramati) and a son named Rohitashya. Once his honesty is debated by sage Vasistha and Vishvamitra and decided to test him.
Sage Vishvamitra went to Harishchandra court argued over truth and honest, and questioned Harishchandra about his attitude if he face such a situation, they had heated argument came to his senses, he realized that the sage was extremely angry with him, and apologized. He promised to fulfill any of the sage's desires to get rid of his guilt. Vishvamitra demanded dakshina for his rajasuya yajna. The king asked him what he wanted in payment. In response, Vishvamitra said "Give me all that you have except yourself, your wife and your child." Harishchandra agreed to the demand. He let go of all his possessions – even his clothes. As he readied to leave his palace with his family, Vishvamitra demanded another donation. Harishchandra said that he did not have any possession left, but promised to make another donation within a month.
Harishchandra started living in penury with his wife and his family. His loyal subjects followed him. When Vishvamitra saw the king with his subjects, he started cursing Harishchandra for taking along his subjects (who were a part of the kingdom donated to the sage). The king then decided to leave the kingdom with his family. To make them go away sooner, Vishvamitra started beating the queen with a stick.
Nearly a month after leaving his kingdom, Harishchandra arrived in the holy city of Kashi, only to see Vishvamitra already present there. The sage demanded the donation that the king had promised him. Harishchandra pointed out that there was still some time left in completion of one month. The sage agreed to come back at the next sunset and departed. As his hungry son cried for food, Harishchandra worried how would he be able to make a donation to the sage. His wife Shaivya suggested that he sell her to get some money. After some hesitation, Harishchandra accepted the proposal and sold her to an elderly man. Their child would not let go of his mother, so it was decided that he would accompany his mother (and an extra payment was made for him).
Soon after, Vishvamitra appeared again and demanded the donation. Harishchandra gave him all the money he had received from the sale of his wife and son. However, Vishvamitra was unhappy with the donation, and demanded more. Harishchandra then decided to sell himself. An chandala (actually Yama in disguise) offered to buy him, but Harishchandra's self-respect as a high-caste Kshatriya would not allow this. He instead offered to be Vishwamitra's slave. Vishvamitra agreed, but then declared "Since you are my slave, you must obey me. I sell you to this chandala in exchange of gold coins." The chandala paid the sage, and took along Harishchandra as a slave.
The chandala employed Harishchandra as a worker at his cremation ground. He directed Harishchandra to collect fees for every body cremated there: a part of the fee would go to the chandala, a part would be given to the local king, and the rest would be Harishchandra's remuneration. Harishchandra started living and working at the cremation ground. One day, he dreamed about his past lives, and realized that his current condition was a result of his past sins. During this nightmare, he also saw his queen crying before him. When he woke up, he saw his queen actually crying before him. She held the dead body of their son, who had died of a snake bite. Thinking of his misfortune, Harishchandra contemplated suicide, but realized that he would continue to pay for his sins in his next life.
Meanwhile, the queen readied to cremate their son's cadaver. But, Harishchandra told her that he would not let her do so without paying the fee. Meanwhile, all the deities appeared led by Yama and accompanied by Vishvamitra. They praised Harishchandra for his good qualities, and invited him to heaven.
But Harishchandra refused to go to heaven without his public who have lamented over his departure from his kingdom. He believes that they are the equal sharer in his merits and that he will only go heaven when his people also accompany him. He requested the king of devas, Indra to allow his people to go to heaven at least for a single day. Indra accepts his request, and he along with his people ascend to the heaven.
After his ascension to heaven, Vashistha– the sage of Harishchandra's royal dynasty – ended his tapasya of twelve years. He learned of what had happened to Harishchandra during these years. He quarreled with Vishvamitra, but was ultimately pacified by Brahma. Brahma explained to him that Vishvamitra was only testing the king, and had actually helped him ascend to heaven.
Bahuka
Sagara was born to Bāhuka, and his wife, Yadavi, at the ashrama of Sage Aurva while seeking refuge in the hermitage from the attacks of Tālajaṅgha, the king of Haihayas While Yadavi was in the seventh month of her pregnancy, her co-wife administered a poison to her, due to which she remained pregnant for seven years. When Bahuka died in the hermitage, Yadavi was ready to follow him in his funeral pyre, but was prevented by Aurva, who promised her that her child would grow up to become a great and fortunate emperor. Yadavi delivered shortly. As the poison (gara) given to her by her co-wife had immobilised her pregnancy, Aurva named her son Sagara (Sa-with, gara-poison).
The king and his queens returned to Ayodhya, and in due course, Keshini delivered one son called Asamanjasa. Sumati gave birth to 60,000 children.Sagara embarked on a triumphal tour with his sons, and started a war of conquest. After conquering the northern regions of the land, he moved towards the south, his object being Māhiṣmatī, the kingdom of the Haihayas. He is stated to have destroyed the realm of his father's usurpers completely in battle.
Death of the Sagarputras
King Sagara performed the ashvamedha yajna to establish his suzerainty of the earth. Indra, the king of the devas, grew fearful over the results of the yajna, and so he decided to steal the sacrificial horse near a mountain. He left the horse at Patala near the sage Kapila, who was engaged in a deep meditation. King Sagara’s 60,000 sons, and his son Asamanjasa, collectively known as the Sagarputras (Sons of Sagara) were commanded to find the horse. When the 60,000 sons circled the Ashtadiggajas and found the horse grazing near the sage, they made a great hubbub. When the furious sage opened his eyes to glare at them, they were immediately burned to ashes. Generations later, one of Sagara’s descendants, Bhagiratha , undertook the task of freeing the souls of his ancestors from Patala. He pursued this task by performing yapas to the goddess Ganga, and succeeded in causing her to descend from Svargaupon the earth as the river Ganges, and performing the funeral rites for the 60,000 perished sons at Patala. Amshuman would be succeeded by his son, Dilipa.Bhagirathaprayatnam
King Sagara, the great-grandfather of Bhagiratha, once performed the ashvamedha sacrifice, but the sacrificial horse was stolen by Indra. The deity had the animal sequestered in Patala, where Sage Kapila was performing a penance. The 60,000 sons of Sagara discovered the horse in Patala, whereupon they disturbed Kapila with their hoarse noises. Infuriated, the 60,000 sons of Sagara were Ind reduced to ash by the fiery eyes of the sage. The responsibility of performing the funeral rites of these sons passed down from generation to generation, until it was acquired by Bhagiratha, who upon his ascension to the throne of Ayodhya, went to practice austerities in the Himalayas, to invoke the goddess Ganga. Ganga told Bhagiratha that were she to descend from Svargato the earth, the force of her fall would be difficult to sustain. She asked him to obtain the favour of the matted-haired, blue-throated deity Shiva, as no one except him would be able to sustain her. Heeding her words, the king then performed a penance that lasted for a millennium for Shiva at Kailasa, and sought his cooperation in allowing Ganga to flow through his hair. Shiva granted him the boon, and stood in position, even as the torrent of Ganga's stream rushed upon his hair. Ganga flowed along the matted hair of Shiva for a thousand years. Bhagiratha performed another penance to please Shiva, until the deity shook his hair and allowed a single drop to descend upon the Indo- Gangetic Plain, which became the Ganges. For Bhagiratha, the river flowed along the plain to Patala, and performed the funeral rites of Sagara’s sons. This episode is referred to as Bhagīrathaprayatnam, literally meaning, "Bhagiratha's labour". To commemorate his efforts, the head stream of the river is called Bhagirathi by locals, till it meets the Alaknanda river at Devprayag. The mythical pātāla where the sage Kapila meditated is identified with the Sāgar Island, at the confluence of the Bhagirathi stream of the Ganges (flowing by Kolkata and revered as Ganga) and the Bay of Bengal. The sea (sam-udra) is called Sāgara in honour of Bhagiratha's ancestor the King Sagara. Kapila's ashrama is located at Sagar Island and hosts the annual Ganga Sagar Mela and bathing rituals on Makara Sankranti day every year. While flowing towards Patala, the Ganga flooded the ashrama of Sage Jahnu . To punish the haughtiness of the goddess, the sage swallowed the river. It was with the insistent entreaties of Bhagiratha that the sage consented to push the river out through his ear, which offered the goddess the epithet Jahnavi.Rituparna
King Rituparna of Ayodhya, he appears in the legend of Nala and Damayanti in the Mahabharata. Nala and Damayanti are separated by kali, Damayanti with all difficulty reaches her parents home. Nala takes shelter at Ayodhya under King Rituparna. He employs Nala in the stables and the kitchen, employed as the king's primary charioteer under the name of Bahuka. Damayanti, Nala's wife, suspected that her husband now lived in the court of Ayodhya. She sent a Brahmana named Sudeva to act as her messenger to Rituparna, inviting him to her second svayamvara, which was to take place the following sunrise. Rituparna rode towards the kingdom of Vidarbha at once, with Nala as his charioteer. During a certain point in the journey, when his cloak fell upon the ground, he requested Nala to halt so that he may retrieve it; to his surprise, Nala had covered a distance of one yojana within that moment from the spot that his cloak had fallen. Observing a tree in the forest, Rituparna was able to offer a precise count of the number of leaves and fruits upon it. In exchange for teaching the Akṣahṛdaya mantra to Nala, which offered mastery over gambling, he learnt the Aśvahṛdaya mantra, which offered him mastery over riding. After they reached Vidarbha, after a series of tests, he realised that the second svayamvara was a scheme by Damayanti, ultimately to reconcile with her husband, Nala. Bearing no resentment, Rituparna was glad about the reunion of the couple, and returned to his kingdom.Dilipa II.
Killing of Virasena
In the killing of Virasena, King Dilipa II is involved. Once an asura named Virasena attacked kubera, however, the gods Shiva and Vishnu were unable to defeat him. Vishnu told Kubera to seek the help of the king Dilipa, who came to Kubera's mythical city of Alaka. Dilipa fired arrow after arrow at Virasena, but every drop of blood spilled caused the formation of a new Virasena. To finish the unending battle, Dilipa prayed to the goddess Rakteshwari, who came and drank all the blood of Virasena, allowing for his death.Birth of Raghu
Dilipa II was a noble, popular ruler who was married to Sudakshina, the princess of Magadha; however, he had no progeny. He and Sudakshina decided to go to the sage Vasishta in order to receive advice on how to obtain a child. At Vasishta's ashrama, he told the couple that the reason they had no children was because they had slighted the divine cow Kamadhenu. He stated that once when Dilipa was visiting the god Indra, he had passed Kamadhenu but paid no attention to her. Kamadhenu took this as a personal insult, and cursed Dilipa so that he would not have any children until he served and propitiated Kamadhenu's daughter, Nandini. Vasishta told Dilipa and Sudakshina that Nandani had gone to Patala to attend a sacrifice of the god Varuna. For the next twenty-one days, Dilipa and Sudakshina followed and attended on Nandini as she traversed Patala. One morning Nandini went to graze in a forest, and as usual Dilipa followed her. However, when Dilipa was focused on the beautiful wooden scenery, a lion jumped out and attacked Nandini. Dilipa aimed his bow and arrow at the lion to fire, but he was paralysed. The lion told Dilipa that he was a servant of the god Shiva, and that he had been ordained to protect a divine deodar cedar tree that had been planted by Shiva's wife, Parvati. The lion stated that he was allowed to eat any animals that came near the deodar cedar tree, and so was justified in eating Nandini. Dilipa fell to his knees and bowed to the lion, and begged the lion to eat him rather than Nandini. Suddenly, the lion disappeared and Nandini revealed that she had done this to test Dilipa. After successfully propitiating Nandini, Dilipa and Sudakshina returned to the earthly realm and had a son named Raghu.Life as a Royal Hermit
One day, Dilipa pleased God so much that he realized how long he had to live. He then left his royal duties to his ministers and spend the rest of his life in devotion and meditation. He performed 100 sacrifices, in which he made golden roads and was even visited by the god Indra.Raghuvamsha
The life and glories of Raghu are described in the poem Raghuvamsha, written by Kalidasa. In the third canto, his birth, education, and marriage are described. He participates in the hundredth ashvamedha sacrifice of his father, fighting Indra, who steals the sacrificial horse. His victory against the deity is followed by his ascension to the throne, after Dilipa retires to the forest. In the fourth canto, Raghu expands his domains, subjugating the kings of Vanga, Utkala, Kalinga, the Pandya king, Huns, Persians, and pragiyotisha.
On the instruction of his guru, Vashistha, he performs the Viśvajit yajna, giving away all his wealth as dana. After being impoverished, Sage Kautsa, a disciple of Vartantu, comes to Raghu, seeking 14 koti (million) gold coins as a guru dakshina. Expressing his inability to offer the sum, Raghu plans to plunder Kubera treasury for wealth. When the deity catches wind of this, he willingly fills the king's coffers with a rain of gold coins, which Raghu promptly offers to Kautsa. Pleased, the sage blesses Raghu to bear a son, and soon, Aja is born. After he comes of age, Raghu sends his son to attend the svayamvara of Princess Indumati of Vidharba, whom he successfully weds. The story of Raghu ends in the eighth canto, where he retires to the forest after nominating Aja as the king.
Aja
Indumati used to be an apsara, a celestial damsel named Harini, in her previous birth. Once, Indra grew apprehensive of the rigorous penance practiced by the sage Trinabindu, and sent her against him for disrupting his penance. By exhibiting in front of him her attractive form, she succeeded in interrupting his penance. As a result, the enraged sage cursed her to be born as a mortal woman on earth, and remain there till she beholds celestial flower on the earth. In due course, she was born as a princess of Vidarbha, and chose king Aja as her husband during her svayamvara. Soon, Dasharatha was born to them. However, her time on earth soon came to its end. Once, while sage Narada was traversing the sky, a garland of his veena fell on Indumati, redeeming her from the curse. Regaining the form of an apsara, she vanished from the earth, leaving Aja behind. King Dasharatha was only eight months old when Indumati died.
Aja was so grief-stricken when his wife died that he ran into the palace and performed suicide. He is also described to have died due to heartbreak.
Dasharatha
Dasharatha was born as the son of King Aja of Kosala and Indumati of Vidarbha. He was originally named Nemi, but he acquired the moniker Dasharatha ('ten chariots') as his chariot could move in all ten directions, fly, and return to earth, and he could fight with ease in all of these directions. Dasharatha became the ruler of Kosala after the death of his father. He was a great warrior who subjugated many of the neighbouring kingdoms with his prowess and slew many asuras in battle. King Dasharatha had around 350 wives, three of whom were his favourite queens: Kausalya was his chief queen, Sumitra was his second queen Kaikeyi was his third queen. Kausalya hailed from the kingdom of Dakshina Kosala, Sumitra from Kashi, and Kaikeyi from the Kekeya Kingdom.
Yajñas to beget sons
Kaikeyi's boons and Rama's exile
In a battle between the devas and the asuras , Dasharatha rode to Devaloka, accompanied by Kaikeyi, to help Indra fight against the asuras. The devas were at a disadvantage due to the sorcery employed by Shambara and his army of asuras. Dasharatha, riding a chariot, faced the asuras in ten directions at the same time. In this battle, his chariot had to be turned to every direction in a swift manner. During the battle, the bolt of one of the wheels slipped out, and the wheel was about to disengage when Kaikeyi inserted her thumb in the hole of the bolt, and kept the chariot steady. When the king learnt of this, he was pleased, and offered her two boons. The queen said that she would ask for those two boons in the future, as she wished for nothing right then and there. Mandhara, Kaikeyi's maid, feared that Kaikeyi would lose her status as chief queen at court if Rama ascended the throne, as Kausalya would thus become queen mother. Manthara later convinced Kaikeyi to demand two boons granted to her years earlier by Dasharatha. King Dasharatha will be obliged to fulfill them. As her two boons, Kaikeyi demanded that Bharata be crowned king, and Rama be sent to the forest for a period of fourteen years.Killing of Shravana Kumara and death
After Rama's departure to the forest, Dasharatha lay in his bed with a wailing Kaushalya. He suddenly remembered an incident which had occurred in his past. He narrated to Kausalya and Sumitra about how, by accident, he had killed a young man named Shravana, mistaking him to be a deer. Dasharatha, who was then the crown prince, had gone hunting on the banks of River Sarayu. He was an expert in hunting by determining the direction of sound and heard the gurgle of an animal drinking water. Mistaking it to be deer, Dasharatha shot an arrow. He became mortified when he heard a human cry as the arrow found its target. Dasharatha hurried there to find a boy lying sprawled on the banks of the river with an arrow lodged in his chest. Dasharatha was aghast and profusely apologised to the young Shravana trying to revive and help him. The boy forgave Dasharatha for his unintentional, unrighteous act, and demanded that Dasharatha pull the arrow out of his chest. He also told him to take the pitcher of water to his blind parents, who must be waiting for him since they were thirsty because of all the travel. The boy died from his injury. Dasharatha approached the blind couple and told them about their son's unfortunate death. The parents, grief-stricken, cursed Prince Dasharatha: "Just as we are suffering and dying due to the separation from our beloved son, you too shall have the same fate." Dasharatha, that his end was near and the curse of Shravana's parents had taken effect.Bharata Bharata and the regent of Ayodhya during Rama's exile. Bharata is considered as an incarnation of the Panchajanya of god Vishnu, and was married to Mandavi. Bharata is regarded for his devotion towards his elder brother Rama. He went against his mother and denied the throne of Ayodhya for his elder brother. Bharata also lived a life in exile, till Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya. The name Bharata is of Sanskrit origin. His name means "one to be [or being] maintained".
Marriage to Mandavi
After Rama won the svayamvara of Sita, their marriage was fixed. King Dasharatha arrived in Mithila for his son's wedding and noticed that Lakshmana had feelings for Urmila, but according to tradition, Bharata and Mandavi were to marry first. King Dasharatha then arranged for Bharata to marry Mandavi and Shatrughna to marry Shrutakirti, allowing Lakshmana to marry Urmila. Ultimately, all four sisters married the four brothers, strengthening the alliance between the two kingdoms. Bharata and Mandavi had two sons named Taksha and Pushkala.Rama's exile and regency
Prior to Dasharatha's attempt to abdicate and hand over the throne to Rama, Bharata had left for the kingdom of Kekaya along with Shatrughna; his grandfather, King Ashvapati, had requested his presence, as he had been ill. During his absence, his mother Kaikeyi, under the influence of her maid Manthara, invoked two of the boons granted to her by Dasharatha, forcing him to overturn his decision for Rama to ascend the throne. Under duress, Dashratha named Bharata as his heir, and banished Rama from his kingdom for a period of fourteen years. Rama complied to his father's bidding, departing Ayodhya to live in Chitrakuta, accompanied by his wife Sita and half-brother Lakshmana. Soon after the departure of Rama, Dasharatha died of grief. Upon returning to Ayodhya, Bharata and Shatrughana were mortified to learn the events that had transpired in their absence. Bharata grew estranged from his mother and attempted to recall Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana from their exile. After meeting the tribal king Guha of the Nishadas, and crossing the river Ganga, Bharata, along with Shatrughna and the army of Kosala, reached Chitrakuta. Lakshmana grew threatened by the presence of Bharata, and suggested that Rama prepare to defend himself. Watching Bharata approach alone in his ascetic garments, Rama allayed his fears. Bharata prostrated himself before Rama, and informed the trio of Dasharatha's passing. After expressing his desire to see Rama assume the throne, the half-brothers offered libations for their father's soul. The following morning, Bharata once again entreated Rama to assume the kingship, and undo the harm that had been caused by Kaikeyi's actions. If Rama refused, Bharata told him, he would live with him in the forest. Rama, however, told his half-brother that he was presently living in exile to fulfil his father's pledge, and that that latter must do the same. When Bharata realised that Rama could not be persuaded otherwise, he urged his half-brother to give him his sandals. He proposed to place Rama's sandals upon the throne of Ayodhya, and rule as a regent for the period of Rama's exile, as an ascetic. Rama consented to this idea. Bharata carried Rama's sandals upon his head, proceeding to Nandigrama, a village on the outskirts of Ayodhya. He had the throne of Ayodhya brought to the village, along with other royal paraphernalia. Placing the sandals on the throne to represent Rama, Bharata assumed the regency of Kosala for fourteen years, the kingdom administered from the village.
Later life.
Bharata vanquished the Gandharvas on the banks of the river Sindhu, and established his son, Taksha as the ruler of Takshashila, and his other son, Pushkala as the ruler of Pushkalavati. Bharata assisted Rama in the performance of his ashvamedha sacrifice.