Bharata is a figure in the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. He is the son of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, and Kaikeyi, the daughter of King Ashvapati of Kekeya. He is a younger half-brother of Rama. He rules Ayodhya as its regent while Rama is banished from his kingdom, and fights to rescue his wife Sita, kidnapped by Ravana.

Dasharatha was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from his capital at Ayodhyā. Dasharatha had three primary consorts: Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi, and from these unions were born Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. He is mentioned in the Rāmāyana epic and the Vishnu Purana.