Hampi is a place where every rock, every stone has a tale to tell. And some have more than one! Depicted here is one such story carved on the walls of Hazara Rama Temple in the Royal Enclosure, Hampi.
King Dasharatha had a long and illustrious rule over the Kingdom of Kosala with Ayodhya as it’s capital. He had established peace and prosperity all over the Kingdom. He was the scion of Suryanamsha – the Solar dynasty and had three consorts – Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi.
His first born daughter Shantha was adopted by his friend and the ruler of Kingdom of Anga – Romapada. She was also married away to sage Rishyashringa and lived happily in the Ashram.
What bothered him was not having an heir to the throne of Ayodhya. He consulted the sages and counsels who advised him to conduct Putrakameshthi Yagna. Now, this Yagna is quite difficult and requires a person of immense ascetic powers. The responsibility is borne by Sage Rishyashringa who was then in the kingdom of Anga. He comes over to Ayodhya, performs the Yagna and upon successful completion, Agni appears from within the Homa fire and hands over the blessings in the form of Payasam – a sweet nectar.
King Dasharatha divides this blessing bowl among his three wives in such a manner that both Kausalya and Kaikeyi get one portion each while Sumitra gets two portions.
Thus, the virtuous scions of Ikshwaku Dynasty – Rama (Kausalya’s Son), Bharata (Kaikeyi’s Son), Lakshmana & Shatrughna (Twins from Sumitra) are born.
Depicted above in the two images are scenes from Putrakameshthi Yagna carved on stones. These carvings can be found on the walls of Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi.
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