Aja (Hindu mythology)

Aja
Information
Children	Dasharatha

In Hindu mythology, Aja (Tamil: Achan, Thai: Achaban, Malay: Dasarata Raman) was the 38th king in the Solar Dynasty, descent from the sun god Surya. He was the son of king Raghu, one of the most famous kings of the Ikshvaku Clan. His paternal grandfather was the pious king Dileepa.

King Aja ruled the kingdom of Kosala on the southern banks of the river Sarayu in the northern part of India, with Ayodhya as his capital. His wife Indumati, an apsara (celestial woman), who was born on earth due to a curse and his son was Dasharatha, father of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. It is said that Aja was so grief stricken when his wife died, he ran into the palace and committed suicide. Some other instances tell that he couldn't bear the thought of Indumati leaving him and died heart broken that instant. While sage Narada was traversing the sky, garland from his Veena fell on Indumati, redeeming her from the curse. Regaining the form of apsara, she vanished from earth leaving Aja. King Dasharatha was only eight months old when Aja died.

The classical Indian poet Kalidasa has elaborated upon the lives and careers of the kings Dileepa, Raghu and Aja in his work entitled Raghuvamsha (literally: "Dynasty of Raghu"). This is significant as these rulers were the immediate forebears of Rama.

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