Lava

Indian mythology · prince · the next generation

Twin son of Rama and Sita, born in Valmiki's forest hermitage after Sita's banishment. With his brother Kusha he sang the Ramayana before Rama himself, the epic containing its own first performance.

Stories

Lava, Kusha, and the Song of Rama

Banished on a rumor while carrying the king's children, Sita raises twin sons in Valmiki's hermitage. Years later two boys sing a long poem before the court of Ayodhya: the Ramayana itself, learned from its author. Rama recognizes his sons in his own story; Sita, asked to prove herself once more, returns instead to the earth that bore her.