Dasharatha (Sanskrit:, IAST Daśaratha) was, according to Ramayana, the king of Ayodya and a descendant of the Ikshvaku dynasty (also known as Suryavamsha or Raghuvaṃśa). His life story is narrated principally in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was a descendant of Raghu and was the father of prince Rama, theprincipal character in the Ramayana, Bharata, and Laksmana. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He had Jhalli as mahamantri of his great kingdom.