Also known as Malada and Karusha, this was a town in ancient India, according to Mahabharata Bhishmaparva Chapter 9 verse 50.

When Vishwamitra was traveling through the forests with Rama and Lakshmana, they asked him about the origin of the forests in which Tataka lived. Vishwamitra told them that the place was once a village called Angamalada, and was also known as Karusha and Malaja. There was a story behind the name too. When Indra killed Vritra and got a brahmahatya curse, he stayed in this place for a while to find peace. The devas found him here and poured water over his head to clean him of all the dirt that he had accumulated on his body. All the dirt then mixed with the soil of this place and from then, it was called Angamalada/Malaja/Karusha. One part of the land was called Malada and another Karusha. Indra was purified by the water and returned to the heavens. According to Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 24, since then the place was uninhabited. Later it became a forest and Tataka started living there.

Krishna’s brother Gata and his wife Brihati had a child called Angad, according to Bhagavata.

According to Uttararamayana, Laksmana and Urmila had two children – Angad and Chandraketu.

According to Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 25 Verse 33, there was a warrior named Angad in the Kaurava army, who entered battle on the twelfth day.

The son of Bali.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma – Kashyapa – Indra – Bali – Angad.

Angad was born to Bali, son of Indra, and Tara, according to Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 72 verse 28.

As per Ramayana Aranyakanda, Angad was part of the group sent by Sugriva to find Sita. Also, according to Aranyakanda, Angad was part of the group that ransacked the fruits at Madhuvana, while returning from the search.

As per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 283 verse 54, Rama sent Angad to the court of Ravana as a messenger.

According to the Ramayana Yudhakanda, Angad waged battle with Indrajit. After that, he further attacked Ravana’s army along with his own forces.

After the war, Rama crowned Angad king of Kishkinda. According to Uttararamayana, Sugriva returned to Angad the necklace that Bali had given him on the day he died.

After returning to Ayodhya, Rama conducted an Ashwamedha yaga. The yaga horse was captured by a king called Suratha. Shatrughna sent Angad to the king, who said that he had caught the horse only to see Rama. Angad conveyed this to Shatrughna according to Padmapurana Patalakhanda Chapter 50.

There are two kinds of abhinaya. One is using ‘anga’ (eg. head), and the other using pratyanaga or upanga. (eg. eyebrows) According to Agnipurana Chapter 341, the former is called Angakarma, and the latter Pratyangakarma.

The kingdom founded by the king Anga, son of Bali.

This kingdom had Anagabhu, Draviradha, Dharmaradha, Romapada (Lomapada), Chaturanga, Pridhulaksha, Brihadratha, Brihanmanas, Jayadratha, Vijaya, Driddhavrita, Satyakarma, Adhiratha, Karna, Vrishasena as kings. Karna was Adhiratha’s adopted son. Adhiratha was a subject king of Dhritarashtra, Pandu etc.

Once, in Hastinapura, the Pandavas and Kauravas were showing their skills with weapons, the Pandavas questioned the lineage of Karna, who was on the Kaurava side. According to the Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 136, Duryodhana immediately crowned Karna the king of Anga.

Lomapada (Romapada), a king of Anga, once cheated a brahmin. As a result, all the brahmins in the kingdom left the land, following which the kingdom suffered from drought for quite a few years. A few sages visited the king and told him that if the maharshi Rishyashringa was brought to Anga, it would rain.

Once, Kashyapa was so infatuated with Urvashi that he ejaculated. It fell into a river and was consumed by a deer. The deer later gave birth to a human offspring with horns. He was called Rishyashringa and grew up in the ashram of the sage Vibhandaka, deep inside the forest. He had never seen a woman in his life, and such was the spiritual power he attained that he could bring rains wherever he went. Lomapada sent many prostitutes to Rishyashringa, who was enticed enough to visit Anga. Lomapada got his daughter Shanta married to Rishyashringa. According to Mahabharata Aranyaparva Chapters 110-113, Lomapada was a friend of Dasarath.

It is believed by some that Anga got its name from its first king. Others cite a story to claim that the name already existed before. The devas conspired to get Shiva married to Parvati. Kama distracted Shiva’s meditation and was burned by Shiva’s third eye. As per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 26, Kama’s male organ fell, and the place where it landed was called Anga, and Kama himself came to be called Ananga.

According to the Hindishabdsagar, Anga consisted of Bhagalpur and Munger in Bihar and its capital was Champapuri, and at times, the kingdom extended from Vaidyanathanama to Bhubaneshwar.

As per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 219 verse 9, Arjuna visited Anga during his pilgrimage.

According to the Mahabharata Sabhaparva Chapter 52 verse 16, the king of Anga had attended Yudhishtira’s rajasuya yajna in Indraprastha.

As per Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 11 verse 15, and Chapter 7 verse 12, respectively, Krishna and Parashurama had earlier defeated the Anga kingdom.

According to Mahabharata Karnaparva Chapter 17 verse 12, the Anga army attacked Arjuna on the 16th day of the war. As per Karnaparva Chapter 22 verse 2, they attacked Dhrishtadyumna and the king of Panchala.

As per Dronaparva Chapter 26, verses 14-17, a mahout from Anga attacked Bhima. Bhima killed the elephant and the mahout.

A Chandravanshi king.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma – Atri – Chandra – Budha – Pururavas – Ayus – Nahusha – Srinjaya – Titiksha – Kushadhrita – Homa – Sutapas – Bali – Anga.

Bali, son of Sutapas, had seven sons with Suteshna – Anga, Kalinga, Suhva, Pudara, Vanga, Adrupa.

Once, there was a sage named Utadhya, who was the elder brother of Brihaspati. When Utadhya’s wife Mamta was pregnant, Brihaspati approached her with carnal desires. She tried to stop his advances, but Brihaspati raped her. The half born child inside resisted him too and even kicked Brihaspati’s semen out of his mother’s womb. An enraged Brihaspati cursed him into eternal darkness – Deerkhatamas. Thus the child was born blind. He married Pradveshi and Gautama was born to them. Mother and son had to find means to feed Deerkhatamas. When they could no longer carry on, they placed Deerkhatamas on a log and pushed it into the Ganga. Bali, who was bathing in the river, found the sage and took him to his palace. Bali tended to the sage and expressed the desire that he should impregnate his queen Sudeshna. But Sudeshna was unwilling, and sent a shudra woman Dhatreyi to Deerkhatamas. Dhatreyi had 11 children including Kakshivan. In time, Deerkhatamas learned of Sudeshna’s deception. Bali managed to placate the angry sage and Sudeshna had five children with him – Anga, Kalinga, Vanga, Pundra, Suhma. The sage blessed that they would be prosperous,a nd their kingdoms came to be known as Anga, Kalinga, Vanga, Paundra and Suhma respectively. According to the Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 104, they comprise the Balivansh.

Once Anga conductred an Ashwamedha, but the devas did not appear to accept the offerings. Anga was told by sages that they did not arrive because he was childless. Immediately Anga conducted a Putrakameshti. From the sacrificial fire rose a celestial being, who gave him a liquid in a golden vessel. Both Anga and his wife Sunidha consumed it, and a son – Vena, was born to them. Vena was a cruel being and in the end, Anga, saddened by his son’s behaviour, left the kingdom for a pilgrimage. According to Bhagavata Chaturthaskanda Chapter 13, 14, the people were forced to accept Vena as king, and he ruled as a cruel king for several years.

The wife of Veerabhadra, one of Shiva’s aides. With a rope in her left hand, she is said to pull the souls of dying people.

According to Rigveda Mandala 1 Anuvaka 17 Sukta 116, a rajarshi also known as Pedu.