A holy place. Praying here at dusk is equivalent to praying at dusk for 12 years as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 84 verse 93.

The Udaya mountain, from which supposedly the sun and moon rise.

A famous chandravanshi king.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma- Atri – Chandra – Budha – Pururavas – Ayus – Nahusha – Yayati – Puru – Janamejaya – Prachinvan – Namasyu – Veetabhaya – Shundu – Bahuvidha – Samyati – Rahovadi – Bhadrashwa – Matinara – Santurodha – Dushyanta – Bharata – Suhotra – Suhota – Gala – Garda – Suketu – Brihalkshetra – Hasti – Ajameedha – Riksha – Samvarana – Kuru – Jahnu – Suratha – Viduratha – Sarvabhauma – Jayatsena – Ravyaya – Bhavuka – Chakrodhata – Devatithi – Riksha – Bhima – Pratiya – Shantanu – Vyasa – Pandu – Arjuna – Abhimanyu – Parikshit – Janamejaya – Shatanika – Sahasranika – Udayana.

In northern India, in the famous kingdom of Vatsa, there was a city named Kaushambi. This was where the palace of Shatanika’s palace was situated. Shatanika and his wife Vishnumati had been childless for long. Once, while he was hunting in the forest, the king saw the sage Shandilya. With his blessings, Vishnumati became pregnant and soon had a child. This was Sahasranika. When Sahasranika grew up, Shatanika put him in charge of the kingdom and went to devaloka to help Indra in his war against the asuras. Shatanika died in the war, and Sahasranika became a valiant king.

On Indra’s invitation, he went to devaloka to battle the asuras and was victorious. Later he was walking around Nandavana when he saw the devas with their wives and was immediately lost in thought. Indra understood that Sahasranika was unmarried and told him that his wife had already been born one earth and that her name was Mrigavati. Sahasranika was happy on hearing this. When it was time for him to leave, Indra sent Tilottama with him for company. As Matali drove the chariot, Sahasranika remained silent, thinking of Mrigavati. So he didn’t pay attention to what Tilottama was saying. She cursed that he would be separated from whatever he was thinking of, for fourteen years. He didn’t register that either.

Sahasranika reached his capital Kaushambi and soon got married to Mrigavati. Mrigavati  became pregnant. She expressed a desire to bathe in a pool of blood. Sahasranika built a pool of Lakshadirasa which seemed like blood. While Mrigavati was bathing in it, an eagle carried her away. Sahasranika fell unconscious on seeing this. Matali came down from the heavens and helped him recover, while Tilottama told him about the curse. The king was distraught and he ignored his court, blamed Tilottama and decided to wait till the curse was lifted.

The eagle left Mrigavati on top of the Udaya mountain. The queen realised her situation and started crying loudly. Just then a large snake appeared and tried to devour her. A divine being reached there, and disappeared after saving her. She was saddened by her plight and attempted to kill herself. But even the wild animals of the jungle ignored her. As she wandered through the jungle, a young sage approached her and asked what she was doing in the jungle. After hearing her story, he consoled her and took her to the sage Jamadagni’s hermitage. She prostrated before him. He told her that she would give birth to a brave boy in the hermitage. Mrigavati stayed in the hermitage eagerly awaiting the day she would be united with her husband. In a few months, she gave birth to a boy. A divine voice proclaimed that he would become an illustrious king named Udayana and that his son would be a highly knowledgeable person. Since he was born in Udayadri, he was named Udayana.

The boy grew up in the hermitage and Jamadagni taught him the scriptures as well as weaponry. Mrigavati gave her son a bangle with Sahasranika’s name engraved on it. Once, Udayana saw a snake charmer catching a snake. He asked the snake charmer to release it. He replied that this was his livelihood and he had worked hard to catch this snake. Udayana gave him his bangle and got the snake released. The snake told him that he was Vasumeni, Vasuki’s elder brother, and was obliged to Udayana for saving him. Vasumeni gifted Udayana a veena named Ghoshavati, and the mantras to get a garland that would never wither and a symbol on the forehead that would never fade. Udayana returned to the hermitage and the snake charmer went to the marketplace to sell the bangle. The merchants saw the king’s name and alerted the guards who took him to the palace. The king asked the snake charmer how he came to possess the bangle, and was told the entire story. Just as the king wondered the boy in the story was his son, a divine voice confirmed it, and said that the curse had been lifted. Sahasranika left the very next day to get back his wife, with the snake charmer accompanying them as a guide. At Jamadagni’s hermitage, Sahasranika was reunited with his family. They left the hermitage after thanking the sage.

Sahasranika crowned Udayana as the king, and appointed Yaugandhanarayana, Rumanva, Vasantaka as his ministers. A divine voice announced with a shower of flowers that with their help, Udayana would become a renowned conqueror. the family left the hermitage after thanking the sage. Sahasranika left with his wife for the Himalayas, to meditate.

Vasavadatta was the daughter of the king of Ujjaini Chandamahasena. The king wanted to marry her to Udayana, but they had been enemies for long. As a way around it, he decided to entrust Vasavadatta to Udayana so she could learn music. The king thought they would inevitably fall in love. The king sent a messenger to Udayana who agreed to teach Vasavadatta if she was sent to Kaushambi. This was not acceptable to Chandamahasena who decided to somehow imprison Udayana. Chandamahasena had an elephant named Nandagiri. He made an exact working wooden replica of it, filled it with soldiers and placed it in the Vindhya mountains. Udayana’s soldiers saw it and informed him of its appearance in the Vindhyas. He wanted to see it, and wondered how to capture it. He decided to approach it with his veena and entice it with the music. Owing to the darkness, he couldn’t understand that it was a wooden replica and as he walked towards it, it kept moving backwards and drawing him away. After some time, the soldiers inside the elephant got out and imprisoned Udayana.

Thus Udayana became a prisoner in Chandamahasena’s palace and his job was to teach Vasavadatta music. The news reached Kaushambi. Yaugandhanarayana entrusted the kingdom to Rumanva and with Vasantaka left for Ujjaini. There, a brahmarakshasa named Yogeshwara became his friend. As per his advice, Yaugandhanarayana disguised himself as a mad old man and Vasantaka, as a perpetually hungry man. They managed to get into the city stealthily and the crowd there was entertained by the mad old man’s antics. He slowly became a favourite of the palace maids. Vasavadatta had him brought to the palace. Udayana recognised Yaugandhanarayana immediately. Vasantaka also gained entry into the palace and entertained Vasavadatta with stories of Lohajankha. By this time, Vasavadatta was in love with Udayana and was ready to go anywhere with him. Udayana decided that it was time to escape. Vasavadatta agreed and her mahout Aashadhaka kept her elephant Bhadravati ready. That night, all of them, including Vasavadatta’s maid Kanchanamala escaped. As soon as they crossed the Vindhyas, Bhadravati died. While they were all looking at it sadly, a voice proclaimed that it was a vidyadharastri named Mayavati and had only taken the form of an elephant. She also said that Udayana’s son too would be helped by her later and that Vasavadatta was also a devastri, born as a human. The next day, they all reached Udayana’s palace. Udayana married Vasavadatta and they were accepted by Chandamahasena.

Udayana and Vasavadatta stayed in their palace constantly. The ministers realised that this would be harmful to the kingdom, and decided to get the king to stay elsewhere. They also wanted an alliance with the strong but troublesome  king of Magadha. The king had a daughter named Padmavati. The ministers agreed that it would work out well if they got Udayana married to Padmavati, and started making efforts towards this. Once  Yaugandhanarayana took Udayana hunting to a forest named Lavanaka. The king of Magadha learned that Udayana was camping near his city and was worried if Udayana was planning an attack. Meanwhile Udayana went hunting daily and one day roamed farther than usual. The ministers used this time to discuss with Vasavadatta their plans. Though it pained her, she agreed to their plans because it was beneficial to Udayana and the kingdom. Yaugandhanarayana disguised himself as an old brahmin, Vasantaka as a one eyed brahmachari and Vasavadatta as a brahmin girl. Rumanva set fire to Vasavadatta’s house and spread the word that Vasavadatta and Vasantaka had died in the fire. Meanwhile Yaugandhanarayana and Vasavadatta reached Magadha and observed Padmavati. One day they approached her when she was in the garden. Padmavati asked the old brahmin (Yaugandhanarayana) who the girl (Vasavadatta) was. He replied that she was his daughter and that her name was Avantika. He also said that her husband had left town and asked whether she could stay with Padmavati while he searched for him. He introduced Vasantaka as Vatuka and said he was Avantika’s brother. Padmavati agreed and Yaugandhanarayana returned to Lavanaka. Padmavati grew very close to Vasavadatta and the latter gifted her Udayana’s special garland. Udayana meanwhile returned and was horrified to see Vasavadatta’s house burned down. He fell unconscious when he got to know that Vasavadatta and Vasantaka had died in the fire. The Magadha spies informed their king of the developments. The king decided to get his daughter married to Udayana. The marriage was fixed and Yaugandhanarayana got the Magadha king to promise that he wouldn’t trouble Udayana anymore. Udayana and Padmavati returned to Kaushambi. On the way Udayana saw the garland on Padmavati and asked where she had got it from. Padmavati told him Avantika’s story and Udayana realised that it was Vasavadatta. As per Kathasaritasagara Lavanakalambaka Vasavadatta appeared then and they all lived happily.

Once when Udayana was in his palace, a brahmin came running and said that some cowherds had broken his son’s leg. Apparently, a boy named Devasena had sat on a rock in the middle of the forest and suddenly earned the prestige of a king. The brahmin boy had been beaten up for not respecting Devasena. Yaugandhanarayana opined that there must be something special about the place. The soldiers dug the place up and discovered a throne laden with diamonds as per Kathasaritasagara Lavanakalambaka.

Vasavadatta meanwhile became pregnant. A son was born to her and he was named Naravahanadatta. Narada blessed that he would become a vidyadhara emperor. Naravahanadatta married Madanamanjuka, an incarnation of Rati.

Though the princess of Thakshashila – Kalingasena, approached Udayana with a marriage proposal, it didn’t work out.

After leaving his kingdom to his son, Udayana, with his queens, withdrew from public life.

A minister in Mahishasura’s court, which had Chikshura as minister of war and Udarka as the commander of the army.

A holy place on the banks of the Saraswati. Balarama is said to have visited this place.

Gautama had three sons – Ekata, Dwita, Trita. He was happy with their pious lifestyle. Once he conducted a yajna and went to heaven. The kings and priests present at the yajna  then considered Trita as the chief priest. Ekata and Dwita were not too pleased with this. By the end of the yajna, they had amassed a large number of cows. They took the cows east, with Trita leading the way. Ekata and Dwita conspired behind his back and led the cows in another direction. Trita was oblivious to this and kept walking. Near the banks of the Saraswati he saw a wolf and while escaping from it, fell into an empty well. He used the creepers in the well, chanted mantras and conducted a yajna there. The chants began resonating in devaloka, and Brihaspati along with the devas reached there. They asked Trita what boon he desired and he said he only wanted to be rescued from the well. Immediately the Saraswati river flooded the well and Trita rode on its waves and got out of the well. On reaching home, he cursed Ekata and Dwita and turned them into wolves, and further that their offspring would be cattle, monkeys and other animals.

The place where the devas appeared before Trita later became known as Udapanatheertha as per Mahabharata Shalyaparva Chapter 36.

A place in south India mentioned in Mahabharata Bhishmaparva Chapter 9 verse 61.

A holy place. Bathing here is equivalent to an upavasa as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 25 verse 41.

A river that flows near Naimisharanya. Arjuna visited this as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 214 verse 6.

A holy place in Punjab. Vishwamitra conducted a yajna here with Utpala as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 87 verse 15.

An attendant of Skanda as per Mahabharata Shalyaparva Chapter 45 verse 6.