Aja | |
---|---|
Maharaja of Kosala | |
Predecessor | Raghu |
Successor | Dashratha |
Born | Ayodhya, Kingdom of Kosala (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) |
Died | Ayodhya, Kingdom of Kosala (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) |
Consort(s) | Indumati |
Issue | Dashratha |
Dynasty | Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha |
Father | Raghu |
Religion | Vedic Hinduism |
Aja (Sanskrit: अज, romanized: Aja) is a king featured in Hindu texts.[1] He is the son of Raghu. His paternal grandfather is the pious king Dilipa. He rules the kingdom of Kosala on the southern banks of the river Sarayu, with Ayodhya as his capital.[2] His wife Indumati is the princess of Vidarbha, and his son is Dasharatha, the father of Rama, an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.[3]
The name Aja is referenced in the Rigveda. In the second phase of Battle of Ten Kings (in RV 1.018.19), the local chieftain Bhida is stated to have been defeated along with three other tribes — Ajas, Śighras, and the Yakṣus by Sudas.[4]