Story of Kanyakubja

(KĀNYAKUBJA).

General information.

A city of Purāṇic fame on the banks of the river Gaṅgā. This is the same place which is now known as Kanauj. Viśvāmitra was the son of Gādhi, King of Kanyākubja.

Origin of this city.

Once there was a great sage named Kuśa who was the son of Brahmā. He had of his wife Vaidarbhī four sons named Kuśāmba, Kuśanābha, Asūrtarajasa and Vasu. Kuśa asked them each to rule a country and so each of them built a city of his own. Kuśāmba named his city Kauśāmbī, Kuśanābha gave his city the name of Mahodayapura, Asūrtarajasa called his city Dharmāraṇya and Vasu called his city Girivraja. Of these Mahodayapura, city of Kuśanābha, became later famous as Kanyākubja. (Bāla Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa).

How Mahodayapura became Kanyākubja.

Kuśanābha begot a hundred daughters of the nymph Ghṛtācī Those beautiful girls were once playing in the forests when the wind-god fell in love with them. The girls rejected his love and Vāyu getting angry with them cursed them and made them hunchbacks. Because the hundred Kanyakās (girls) became Kubjās (hunchbacks) at that place, the place became known as Kanyākubja.

When the daughters returned to the palace as hunchbacks Kuśanābha was greatly distressed. Weeping, the girls told him what had happened. At that time a sage named Cūlī was performing penance in a forest nearby. Somadā, daughter of Ūrmilā, a gandharva lady, married Cūlī and they got a son named Brahmadatta. This Brahmadatta married the hundred hunchbacks of Kuśanābha and the very touch of Brahmadatta transformed the hunchbacks into beautiful girls.

After having given his daughters in marriage Kuśanābha conducted a Putrakāmeṣṭi yāga to get a son. In that Yāga Brahmā appeared in person and blessed Kuśanābha and he got a son. The son was named Gādhi.* Gādhi got a son and a daughter. The son was named Viśvāmitra and the daughter, Satyavatī. Ṛcīka married Satyavatī. Gādhi and Viśvāmitra were the rulers of Kanyākubja. See under 'Ṛcīka, Viśvāmitra'—(Sargas 32 to 34, Bālakāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa).

Nārada and Kanyākubja.

There was a very big lake in Kanyākubja. Mahāviṣṇu once showed Māyā to Nārada at that place. (See under 'Nārada').

Viśvāmitra and Indra take wine together.

Viśvāmitra and Indra took wine together at Kanyākubja. (Śloka 17, Chapter 87, Vana Parva).

*) Gādhi—This is found as 'Gādhi' in Mahābhārata and 'Gādha' in Rāmāyaṇa.