| Bhagiratha | |
|---|---|
 Sculpture of Bhagiratha's penance, Descent of the Ganges, Mahabalipuram | |
| Texts | Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas |
| Region | Ayodhya |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Children | Śruta (son), Haṃsī (daughter) |
| Dynasty | Suryavamsha |
Bhagiratha (Sanskrit: भगीरथ, IAST: Bhagīratha) is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty in Hindu literature. He is best known for his legend of bringing the sacred river Ganges, personified as the Hindu river goddess Ganga, from heaven upon the earth, by performing a penance.[2]
- ^ Ruth Vanita (2005). "Disability as Opportunity Sage Ashtavakra Mentors Bhagiratha, the Disabled Child of Two Mothers". Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Culture. Yoda Press. ISBN 9788190227254.
The story of Bhagiratha's birth to two women occurs, as far as I know, only in texts produced from the fourteenth century onwards in Bengal. Other manuscripts of the Sanskrit Padma Purana, in the Devanagari script, and other Puranas too relate that Bhagiratha was born in the regular way to his father, Dilipa. As is standard in patrilineages, these latter texts do not mention his mother's name.
- ^ Edits, The Divine (2023-04-22). Padma Purana - A Concise Guide. by Mocktime Publication. p. 10.