Aja
King of Ayodhya, Rama's Grandfather
Raghu's son and Dasharatha's father - Rama's grandfather. His love story with Princess Indumati is one of the most romantic in Sanskrit poetry.
- Sanskrit/Telugu name: అజుడు
- Also known as: Aja Maharaja
- Symbols: Royal bow
Story
Aja was the son of the great Raghu and the father of Dasharatha - which makes him Rama's grandfather. His story is one of deep love. He won the hand of the beautiful princess Indumati at her svayamvara, where she walked past a hall of kings and chose him. On the journey home, a proud rival attacked the wedding party, and gentle Aja revealed he was Raghu's son in battle too, defeating the attacker with a special weapon that put the enemy to sleep rather than killing him - mercy, even in war. Aja and Indumati ruled happily and had a son, Dasharatha. But one day, as the queen rested in a garden, a celestial flower garland drifted down from the sky and touched her - and by a strange curse's ending, she left her earthly life. Aja's grief was so tender and true that the poet Kalidasa filled a whole chapter of his Raghuvamsha with it. Aja ruled on for his son's sake, and through Dasharatha, his grandson would be Rama himself.
Fun fact
Aja's wife Indumati was, in many tellings, an apsara under a curse - the falling flower garland didn't harm her, it simply ended the curse and released her back to heaven.
Family and connections
- Child: Dasharatha