Raghuvanshi

Raghuvanshi or Raghuwanshi or Raghukul is a legendary[1] Indian Kshatriya dynasty in the Itihasa-Purana mythology, considered an offshoot of the Suryavansha or the Ikshvaku dynasty lineage of kings tracing its ancestry to the sun deity Surya. Any king who belongs to Raghuvansha, as a result also belongs to Suryavansh. The dynasty is named after Raghu, a legendary king who protected the sacrificial horse of Ashwamedha from Indra. Raghuvanshi kings include Mandhata, Harishchandra, Sagara, Bhagiratha, Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja, Dasaratha and Rama.

Kalidasa's work, Raghuvamsha narrates the epic of the Raghuvanshi in 19 sargas (cantos).[2]

Notable people
Harishchandra and his family are sold into bondage and separated. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.

Several legendary kings came from the Solar dynasty and are referred to as Raghuvanshi after their ancestor, the king Raghu.

  • Mandhata, who is said to have ruled the entire earth during the Vedic period, and defeated the Indra-head of Devatas.
  • Sagara, a king who was tricked by Indra into a conflict with the sage Kapila, leading to the death of his 60,000 sons, the descent of the Ganges to earth, and his sons' revival
  • Harishchandra, the king of Ayodhya, believed to be an exemplar of honesty
  • Dilīpa, said to be the most righteous and chivalrous emperors of the Ikshvaku dynasty
  • Bhagiratha said to be the legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who brought the River Ganga, personified as the river goddess Ganga, to Earth from the heavens
  • Raghu II, whose descendants are known as Raghuvanshi. The Valmiki Ramayana refers to Raghukula, a clan of this king
  • Aja, son of King Raghu
  • Dasaratha, son of Aja and father of Rama, Lakshman, Bharath and Shatrughan
  • Rama, he is considered the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu. Rama's story before he became king of Ayodhya is recounted in the Ramayana. After he ascended the throne, he performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Bharata, his younger brother, won the country of Gandhara and settled there
  • Lava and Kusha - They were the twin sons of Rama and his wife Sita. Lava ruled south Kosala while Kusha ruled north Kosala, including Ayodhya. Kusha married "Nagkanya" "Kumuddhati", sister of Kumuda. After Kusha the following kings of the solar dynasty ruled Ayodhya:
  • Śuddhodana
  • Sumitra, the last king of Ayodhya from Raghuvanshi dynasty.

References
  1. Indian History: Ancient and medieval. Vol. 1 of Indian History. Encyclopædia Britannica (India) Pvt. Ltd. 2003. p. 22.
  2. Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa - Edited with extracts & notes etc by Narayan Ram Acharya Kavyatirtha, Chaukhambha Publishers, Varanasi, 2nd ed (2002), Appendix 2
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