Dasharatha was a king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty

Ikshvaku dynasty

The Ikshvaku dynasty, in Puranic literature, was a mythical dynasty founded by Ikshvaku, grandson of Vivasvan or Surya and son of Vaivasvata Manu. This dynasty is also known as . The important personalities belonging to this royal house are Harishchandra, Dilīpa, Sagara, Raghu, Rama and Prasenajit...

 whose life story is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

. He was a descendant of Raghu

Raghu

The Great Emperor Raghu was a valorous king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to the Raghuvamsha, he was born to king Dilipa and his queen Sudakshina. His name in Sanskrit means the fast one, deriving from Raghu's chariot driving abilities. So celebrated were the exploits of Raghu, that his...

 and was the father of Rama

Rama

Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, the heroic prince of the Ramayana and an Avatar

Avatar

In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....

a of the god Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 according to Hindu

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 tradition. Dasharatha had three wives namely, Kaushalya, Sumitra

Sumitra

Sumitra in the Indian Ramayana epic, was the third of King Dasaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. She came from the ancient kingdom of Kashi. She was supposed to be the wisest of the wives of Dasaratha. She was the one to first...

 and Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi

Kaikeyi , in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa, was the second of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of Bharata...

. Rama was the son of Kaushalya, Lakshman and Shatrughna

Shatrughna

Shatrughna was the youngest brother of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana . He is the twin brother of Lakshmana.-Birth and family:...

 were the sons of Sumitra, and Bharata

Bharata (Ramayana)

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty...

 was the son of Kaikeyi.

Dasharatha had a daughter, Shanta, by his wife Kaushalya. She was the eldest of all his children and married to Rishi Shreengi.

Ramayana

Four key events in the life of Dasharatha are described in the Ramayana:

• On hearing the great tales of Dasharatha, the demon king Ravana
  Ravana
  ' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
  
   - whose ambition was to rule the three worlds - was filled with envy and sent messengers to the court of Dasharatha asking the king to pay homage and tribute to Ravana or face war. Dasharatha shot off arrows and told the messengers that, on their return, they would find the gates of Ravana's capital Lanka
  Lanka
  Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
  
   fastened shut by the arrows.

• Dasharatha was famous for his ability to hunt
  Hunting
  Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
  
   blind, by sound alone. During one of his hunting expeditions, he heard a noise resembling an elephant
  Elephant
  Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
  
   drinking water, and shot an arrow in that direction. To his chagrin, he found that he had instead shot the young boy Shravan Kumar. In his grief, the boy's mother cursed the king that he too would one day suffer putrasoka (grief of separation from one's progeny) just like she and her husband were suffering. The couple then gave up their lives, not wanting to live after consuming water offered by their son's killer.

• Dasaratha, as a young man, joined the side of the gods in a war against the Asuras
  Drought
  A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
  
  . He and his chariot were hit, he was bleeding badly, and his chariot was damaged. Kaikeyi
  Kaikeyi
  Kaikeyi , in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa, was the second of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of Bharata...
  
   came to his rescue and guided him to safety in his chariot. Upon seeing that she had saved his life, Dasaratha promised Kaikeyi
  Kaikeyi
  Kaikeyi , in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa, was the second of King Daśaratha's three wives and a queen of Ayodhyā. She was the mother of Bharata...
  
   two boons
  Wishes
  Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams is a fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida and at Disneyland Park in Disneyland Paris...
  
  , to which she replied, "My joy is great enough that you still live. What do I want but your love from you my Lord? Keep the two gifts til I ask."

• These incidents in Dasharatha's life played havoc in the future course of events. By performing the Putrakameshti sacrifice
  Putrakameshti
  Putrakameshti is a special Yajna performed in Hinduism for the sake of having a child. It is a kaamya-karma.In the Ramayana, upon the recommendation of Sage Vashishta, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya performed the Putrakameshti Yajna under the supervision of Rishishringa Muni, who was an expert in...
  
   to obtain children, Dasharatha was blessed with four sons. When the boys were grown, Dasharatha decided to retire and anoint Rama
  Rama
  Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
  
  , the eldest, the crown prince
  Crown Prince
  A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
  
  . But before the ceremony took place, the ambitious Kaikeyi asked him to make good the old promise. She demanded for the first boon that her son Bharata
  Bharata (Ramayana)
  In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty...
  
   be crowned king instead of Rama, and for the second that Rama leave Ayodhya and live in exile for 14 years in forest. The helpless king had to agree to her demands because as a Kshatriya
  Kshatriya
  *For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
  
   by Dharma
  Dharma
  Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
  
  , he could not go back on his word. The dejected Dasharatha died of grief not long after Rama had gone into exile, unable to withstand the anguish of separation from his son. This also fulfilled the curse of Shravan Kumar's mother.