Lava (Ramayana)

For other uses, see Lava (disambiguation).

Rama fighting Lava and Kusha

Lava or Luv (Template:Lang-sa meaning "particle", Tamil: இலவன், Malay: Tilawi, Indonesian: Lawa, Khmer: Jupalaks, Lao: Phra Lao, Thai: Phra Lop, Telugu: లవుడు) and his twin brother Kusha, were the children of the Lord Rama and his wife Sita, whose story is recounted in the Ramayana. Per that text, he is known as the founder of Lavapuri, that is, the modern day city of Lahore, which is named after him. The Southeast Asian country Laos and the Thai city Lopburi were both named after him.

The Lohanas, Kurmis, Leva Patidars and Leva Gurjar's are present-day Indo-Aryan ethnic groups who attest to be descendants of Lava.

Birth and childhood

File:Sita with Lava Kusha.jpg

Sita with Lava Kusha

Lava and Kishu engage Lakshmana in battle

After Sita had been banished from the kingdom of Ayodhya due to the gossip of kingdom folk, she took refuge in the ashram of sage Valmiki, which was located in a forest on the banks of the Tamsa river. Lava and Kusha were born in this ashram. They were educated and trained in military skills under the tutelage of Valmiki.

One version of the legend interprets the origin of Lava's twin brother Kusha. As a child, Lava once went missing for a long time. Valmiki, thinking that Sita might panic, took some Kusha (a type of plant) and created from it a boy similar to Lava. Later on, when the real Lava returned, the newly created boy was named after his origin: Kusha.

When Rama performed the Ashvamedha Yagya, the horse strayed into their forest, which brought them into conflict with their own father. Unaware that Rama was their progenitor, they captured the horse and refused to release it. They engaged in conflict and defeated Rama's brothers (Bharata, Shatrughna and Lakshmana) with ease. Eventually, Rama himself came to confront them in battle, but after witnessing their prowess, he invited them to Ayodhya to perform the Yagya.

It was at that point that he learned of their identity as his sons. The Place where Sita Mata gave birth to her sons is located in Amritsar known as "Ramtirth". This is most famous pilgrimage in Amritsar

Training from Maharshi Valmiki

Lava and Kusha were born in Maharshi Valmiki’s Ashrama. Before their birth Sita had requested Valmiki to accept her sons as his disciple. Valmiki formally started training Lava and Kusha when they were around 5 years of age. He trained them in archery and they were able to release arrows at the speed of sound. He also taught them about divine & celestial warfare. He made them masters in archery so that no one on this earth could defeat them in war. He established a connection between his mind and Lava and Kusha’s mind and directly transferred all his knowledge to them. After military skills, he taught them the art of singing and playing the veena (lute). He taught them the Ramayana, which was written by Maharshi Valmiki himself, keeping Rama as the center point. Later, Lava and Kush used their singing skills to infuse love for Sita in the Ayodhya’s people.

Founding Lahore and later history

The Temple associated with Lava (or Loh) in Lahore Fort, viewed from top

They grew up into just rulers like their father and founded the cities of Lahore (called Lavapuri in ancient times) and Kasur respectively.

There is a temple associated with Lava (or Loh) inside Shahi Qila, Lahore, Pakistan. The temple is located near the Alamgiri Gate where the old jails of Lahore Fort used to be.