Kosala kingdom

Kosala was an ancient Indian kingdom, ruled by the Solar dynasty or Suryavansh. City of Ayodhya was its capital and is now located in Modern day Uttar Pradesh. Rama's sons Lava and Kusha partitioned the kingdom. Lava ruled from the city called Shravasti, and Kusha from the city called Kushavati. A colony of Kosala kings existed in Madhya Pradesh, It was called Dakshina Kosala. Rama extended his influence up to the island-kingdom of Lanka situated in the Indian Ocean.

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.

Nishadha king Nala's friend Rituparna was a ruler of Kosala. Brihadbala another ruler of Kosala during Dvapara Yuga, took part in Mahabharata war and was killed by Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.

An 1880 reference described Uttara Kosala was one of the five main divisions of the kingdom of Rama in prehistoric Awadh; the region was described as corresponding to the modern trans-Ghaghra districts including Bahraich, Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur.

The Indian epic Ramayana is the window to this era.

During the period of the forefathers of Raghava Rama, there was only one Kosala kingdom. It had its capital at Ayodhya, identified as the Ayodhya town in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state of India. During the reign of Dasharatha, the father of Rama, Dakshina Kosala came into prominence. It was situated in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. Dasharatha married his eldest wife Kausalya from this kingdom.

Raghava Rama's son's Lava and Kusa, inherited each half of the Kosala kingdom, with Ayodhya as its capital. Thus, this Kosala split into two parts; one ruled by Lava, with capital at Shravasti, to the north of Ayodhya and the other by Kusa at Kusavati, believed to be towards the east of Ayodhya.

The Indian epic Mahabharata is the window to this era.