Lava (, ) and his elder twin brother Kusha, are the children of

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

Hindu texts Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. Some of the major Hindus, Hindu texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Itihasa. ...

. Their story is recounted in the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

epic, ''

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 ...

'' and its other versions. He is said to have a whitish golden complexion like their mother, while Kusha had a blackish complexion like their father.

Birth and childhood

Valmiki train Lava Kushas in Art of Archery

The first chapter of Ramayana, '' Balakanda,'' mentioned

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

narrating the Ramayana to his disciples, Lava and Kusha. But their birth and childhood story is mentioned in the last chapter '''Uttara Kanda which is not believed to be the original work of Valmiki. According to the legend,

banished herself from the kingdom due to the gossip of the kingdom folk about her chastity. She chose self-exile and took refuge in the

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

located on the banks of the Tamsa river. Lava and Kusha were born at the ashram and were educated and trained in

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

skills under the teachings of Sage Valmiki. During this time they had also learned the story of Rama. Sage Valmiki, along with Lava and Kusha, and a disguised

attend an ashvamedha yajna held by

. In some versions of the epic, Lava and Kusha chanted the Ramayana in the presence of Rama and a vast audience. When Lava and Kusha recited about Sita's exile, Rama became grief-stricken and Valmiki produced Sita, testifying her innocence. Sita declared Lava and Kusha to be her sons and her fidelity to her husband. After Rama had expressed his desire to reconcile with her, Sita called upon the earth, her mother ( Bhumi), to receive her and as the ground opened, she vanished into it. Even as he lamented the loss of his wife, Rama acknowledged his sons and sought their company. In some versions, Lava and Kusha capture the horse of the sacrifice and went to defeat Rama's brothers (

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

, Bharata and

Shatrughna ''Shatrughna'' (, ), also known as Ripudaman, is the younger brother of Rama, and King of Mathura, Madhupura and Vidisha, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra of god Vishnu, and was married ...

) and their armies. When Rama came to fight with them, Sita intervenes and unites father and sons.

Later life

Lava and Kusha became rulers after their father Rama founded the cities of Lavapuri and

Kasur Kasur (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; also Romanization, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city s ...

, respectively. The king of

Kosala Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage ...

, installed his son Lava at

Shravasti Shravasti (, ; ) is a town in Shravasti district in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala which was ruled by Lava and the place where the Buddha lived most after his enlightenment. It is n ...

and Kusha at Kushavati. In the Ananda Ramayana, Lava had a wife named Sumati, and together the couple ruled the city of Lavapuri and the kingdom of Shravasti.

In popular culture

Lava is purported to have founded ''Lavapuri'' (the modern day city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

), which is named after him. There is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

associated with Lava (or Loh) inside Shahi Qila, Lahore.Ahmed, Shoaib
"Lahore Fort dungeons to re-open after more than a century."
''Daily Times''. 3 November 2004. There are various communities and clans in modern India that claim descent from Lava, an example being the "Levas", a branch of which are the Lohana Kotecha and Leuva Marathas.

References

{{Ramayana Solar dynasty Characters in the Ramayana