Rishyasringa

Rishyasringa
Ṛṣyaśṛṅga lured into aṅgadēśa by dancing girls
Information
Family	Vibhandaka (father) Urvashi (mother)
Spouse(s)	Shanta

Rishyasringa (IAST: Ṛṣyaśṛṅga) was a boy born with the horns of a deer in Hindu-Buddhist mythology who became a seer and was seduced by a king's daughter, which had various results according to the variations in the story.

Other names for Rishyasringa (Sanskrit: ऋष्यशृंग) include Shring-rishi; Odia: ୠଶ୍ୟଶ୍ରୁଙ୍ଗ; Kannada: ಋಷ್ಯಶೃಂಗ; Telugu:ఋష్యశృంగ (Deer-Horned); Pali: Isisiṅga; Thai: Kalaikot; Tamil: Kalaikottan, Chinese: 獨角仙人; pinyin: Dújiǎo Xiānrén; also Ēkaśṛṅga).

Rishyasringa was a boy born with the horns of a deer in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. His father was the Vibhandak Rishi, and his mother was a celestial paramour. According to another legend, he was believed to have been born of a doe and from the slight protrusion of his forehead. According to legend, his father was seduced by the celestial danseuse Urvasi by order of Indra, the king of gods, who feared the yogic powers gained out of penance by the rishi could prove fatal to the very existence of heavenly world. The father was seduced and out of his relation with the danseuse was born Rishyasringa.

However, immediately after the child was born, Urvashi, after completing the duty she was sent for, left the infant child and her lover and made her way to the heavens. The incident left the father with extreme hatred towards women folk, and he raised the boy in a forest, isolated from society. He never saw any girls or women, and was not told of their existence. The tradition states that he was endowed with magical and miraculous powers.

The early upbringing of Rishyasringa is linked to the highland location in the central mid hill of Nepal now popular as Resunga in the Gulmi District of the Lumbini Zone. Stories about the unique setting of the special mountain that has attracted and made it the home to many famous mystic Yogis. The Saha Kings of Nepal have dedicated special respect and attention to its maintenance and arrangement and the religious circuit of Ridi-Rudrabeni-Resunga in the Gulmi district is a huge attraction for national and international tourists. The all-weather road that connects the Indian border of Sunauli (Uttar Pradesh) and passes through the Nepal's Sidharthanagar-Butwal-Palpa cities leading to the Ridi Sangam with Kali Gandaki and upward towards the district headquarters Tamghas.