Kishkindha in the context of "Hanuman"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Kishkindha in the context of "Hanuman"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Kishkindha

Kishkindha (Sanskrit: किष्किन्धा, IAST: Kiṣkindhā) is a kingdom mentioned in Ramayana. It is ruled by King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. According to the Hindu epic this was the kingdom that Sugriva ruled with the assistance of his counsellor, Hanuman. Kishkindha is identified with the present location of Hampi, the erstwhile royal capital of Vijayanagara Empire.

During the Treta Yuga, the whole region was within the dense Dandaka Forest which was founded by King Danda, son of Ikshvaku, and descendant of Vaivasvata Manu in the Satya Yuga, which extended from the Vindhya range to the South Indian peninsula. Thus, this kingdom was considered that of the vanaras. During the Dvapara Yuga, the Pandava Sahadeva is stated to have visited this kingdom in the epic Mahabharata during his southern military campaign to collect tribute for Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier

Kishkindha in the context of Sugriva

Sugriva (Sanskrit: सुग्रीव, lit.'beautiful necked', IAST: Sugrīva), is a character In the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha. He is a son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. As the king of the vanaras, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the rakshasa king Ravana.

↑ Return to Menu

Kishkindha in the context of Vali (Ramayana)

Vali (Sanskrit: वाली) also known as Bali, was a vanara and the king of Kishkindha in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was the son of Indra, the husband of Tara, the elder brother of Sugriva, and the father of Angada through his wife, Tara.

Vali obtained a pendant from his father, Indra, that which allowed him to restore his energy even when nearing death, making him a formidable fighter. He banished his brother Sugriva, who had assumed his throne, believing him to be dead. Sugriva sought the assistance of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, to intervene in their conflict. During a duel between the brothers, Rama shot Vali in the chest with an arrow.

↑ Return to Menu

Kishkindha in the context of Tara (Ramayana)

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Tara (Sanskrit: तारा, Tārā, lit.'star') is the Queen of Kishkindha and the wife of the vanara (monkey) King Vali.

Tara is described as the daughter of the vanara physician Sushena in the Ramayana, and in later sources, as an apsara (celestial nymph) who rises from the churning of the milky ocean. She marries Vali and bears him a son named Angada. After Vali is presumed dead in a battle with a demon, his brother Sugriva becomes king , however, Vali returns and exiles his brother, accusing him of treachery.

↑ Return to Menu

Kishkindha in the context of Angada

Angada (Sanskrit: अङ्गदः, IAST: Aṅgada) is a legendary vanara in Hinduism. He helps Rama find his wife Sita and fight her abductor, Ravana, in the epic Ramayana. He is the son of Vali and prince of Kishkindha, and is later crowned as the kingdom's monarch.

↑ Return to Menu

Kishkindha in the context of Hampi (town)

Hampi is a city in the Vijayanagara district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located along the Tungabhadra River in the east and center part of the state, Hampi is near the city of Hospet. It is famous for hosting the Hampi Group of Monuments with the Virupaksha Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was possibly known as Kishkindha in the Ramayana age.

Hampi is mentioned in Ashokan epigraphy and texts such as the Ramayana and the Puranas of Hinduism as Pampaa Devi Tirtha Kshetra. Hampi was a part of Vijayanagara, the capital of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th-century. It became a center of economic and administrative activity of the Deccan region kingdom founded in opposition to Islamic Sultanates in South India. After over two centuries of rule, the Empire was defeated and abandoned. Since the 19th-century, its ruins have been an important site for archaeologists and historians.

↑ Return to Menu

Kishkindha in the context of Kosala Kingdom

Kosala is the kingdom of Rama mentioned in the Ramayana. Ayodhya was its capital and is now located in Uttar Pradesh. Rama's sons Lava and Kusha inherited parts of this kingdom. Lava ruled from the city called Shravasti, and Kusa from the city called Kushavati. A colony of Kosala kings existed in Madhya Pradesh. It was called Dakshina Kosala. Rama's mother Kausalya was from this kingdom. Rama extended his influence up to the island-kingdom of Lanka situated in the Indian Ocean. He had friendly relations with the southern kingdom of Kishkindha.

Rama's brother Bharata, colonized the Gandhara kingdom and founded the city of Takshasila and his descendants named as Gaud kshatriya. Gandhara lied close to Kekeya Kingdom, the native kingdom of Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi. Rama's second brother Lakshmana founded the city of Lakshmanapura near river Ganges which is now known as Lucknow and his descendants named as Pratihara. He colonized the Vanga kingdom and founded the city of Chandrakanta there. Rama's youngest brother Satrughna destroyed the forest of a demon named Madhu and founded the city of Mathura which later became the capital of the Surasena Kingdom.

↑ Return to Menu