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{{Short description|Legendary dynasty in Hinduism}}
{{About|the dynasty||Raghuvamsha (disambiguation)}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2020}}

'''{{transl|sa|IAST|Raghuvaṃśa|italic=no}}''' ({{Lang-sa|रघुवंश}}) or '''{{transl|sa|IAST|Raghukula|italic=no}}''' is a legendary<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian History: Ancient and medieval|year=2003|volume=1|pages=22}}</ref> Indian dynasty, primarily featured in [[Hindu texts|Hindu scriptures]] such as the ''[[Itihasa]]''s and the [[Puranas|''Purana''s]]. It is considered to be an offshoot of the [[Solar dynasty|{{IAST|Sūryavaṃśa}} or the Ikshvaku dynasty]] lineage of kings, tracing its ancestry to the sun deity [[Surya]]. Kings of the Raghuvaṃśa line are referred to as '''{{IAST|Raghuvaṃśī}}'''. The dynasty is named after [[Raghu]], a legendary king who protected the sacrificial horse of [[ashvamedha]] from [[Indra]]. Raghuvaṃśī kings include [[King Mandhata|Mandhata]], [[Harishchandra]], [[Sagara (Vedic king)|Sagara]], [[Bhagiratha]], [[Dilīpa]], [[Raghu]], [[Aja (Hindu mythology)|Aja]], [[Dasharatha]] and [[Rama]].

[[Kalidasa]]'s work, ''[[Raghuvaṃśa]]'', narrates the epic of the Raghuvaṃśa in 19 sargas ([[canto]]s).<ref>Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa - Edited with extracts & notes etc by Narayan Ram Acharya Kavyatirtha, Chaukhambha Publishers, Varanasi, 2nd ed (2002), Appendix 2</ref>

==Notable members==
[[File:Harishchandra by RRV.jpg|right|thumb|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 Raghuvaṃśa after their ancestor, the king Raghu.
* [[King Mandhata|Mandhata]], who is said to have ruled the entire earth during the [[Vedic period]], and defeated the Indra, the king of the devas.
* [[Sagara (Vedic king)|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 Ganga 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
* [[Bhagirath |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 Raghuvaṃśa. The ''[[Valmiki]] [[Ramayana]]'' refers to Raghukula, a clan of this king
* [[Aja (Hindu mythology)|Aja]], son of King Raghu and grandfather of [[Rama]].
* [[Dasharatha]], son of Aja and father of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna
* [[Rama]], he is considered the seventh [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]. Rama's story before he became king of Ayodhya is recounted in the ''Ramayana''. After he ascended the throne, he performed the [[ashvamedha]] yajna. [[Bharata (Ramayana)|Bharata]], his younger brother, won the country of [[Gandhara]] and settled there
* [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|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 the [[Nāga|naga]] princess Kumudvati, the sister of Kumuda.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&dq=Lava+Kumuda&pg=PT711 |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2014-04-18 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 |pages=711 |language=en}}</ref> After Kusha, the following kings of the solar dynasty ruled Ayodhya:
* [[Śuddhodana]], leader of the [[Shakya|Shakya republic]] in present day [[Nepal]], with their capital at [[Kapilavastu (ancient city)|Kapilavastu]]. He was also the father of [[Siddhartha Gautama]], who later became the Buddha.
* [[King Sumitra|Sumitra]], the last king of [[Ayodhya]] from the Raghuvaṃśa, defeated by [[Mahapadma Nanda]].

== See also ==
* [[Hinduism]]
* [[Solar dynasty]]
* [[Lunar dynasty]]
* [[Mahabharata]]
* [[Puranic chronology]]
* [[List of Ikshvaku dynasty kings in Hinduism|List of Ikshvaku dynasty kings]]
* [[List of Hindu empires and dynasties]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dynasties of India]]

Raghuvaṃśa (dynasty) - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article