Dushyanta
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Dushyanta, also referred to as Duhshanta, is a king featured in Hindu literature and mythology. He belongs to the Paurava line of the legendary Lunar dynasty. According to the epic Mahabharata, he is
A scene from the play depicting Dushyanta proposing marriage with a ring to Shakuntala. Chromolithograph by Raja Ravi Varma.
Miniature painting showing Dushyant and Shakuntala, circa 1840, Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh National Museum, Delhi
Shakuntala in the court Of Dushyanta, painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
Gandharva marriage
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A Gandharva marriage is one of the eight classical types of Hindu marriage. This ancient tradition from the Indian subcontinent was based on consensual acceptance between a man and a woman, with no ri
Dushyanta
…During a hunting expedition he encounters Shakuntala, the foster daughter of the sage Kanva. Struck by her beauty, he persuades her to enter into a Gandharva marriage. After consummating the union in her hermitage, Dushyanta leaves, promising to bring her to Hastinapura, but fails to do so. When Shakuntala later…
Dushyanta & Shakuntala in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son that resulted from their Gandharva marriage was named Bharata.
Hidamba Devi Temple in Manali (India) - dedicated to the wife of Pandava Bheema, joined by Gandharva marriage
Gandharva marriage: couple exchange garlands under a tree. Illustration from Sougandhika Parinaya written in Kannada