Vishala () is a king in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, featured in the
Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
. He is the son of
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku (Sanskrit ; Pāli: ) is a legendary king in Indian religions, particularly Hindu and Jain scriptures
Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initi ...
and his queen,
Alambusha. He is said to have built a city called Viśālā, near which
Ahalya
In Hinduism, Ahalya (, IAST: Ahalyā) also spelt as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures describe her legend of seduction by the king of the gods Indra, her husband's curse for her infidelity, and her liber ...
was transformed into stone. He had a son named Hemachandra.
The name of Vishala is also mentioned in one of the
as well as the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
''.
References
{{Hindu-myth-stub
Characters in the Ramayana
Hindu mythology
Characters in the Mahabharata