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.

Ayodhya is a legendary city mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit-language texts, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. These texts describe it as the capital of the Ikshvaku kings, including Rama.