| Kaikeyi | |
|---|---|
| Queen of Kosala | |
 Manthara manipulates Queen Kaikeyi into exiling Prince Rama | |
| Spouse | Dasharatha |
| Issue | Bharata (Son) |
| House | Ayodhya |
| Dynasty | Kekeya (by birth) Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha (by marriage) |
| Father | Ashvapati |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a princess of Kekeya and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Kaikeyi is the third queen and favourite consort of King Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital, Ayodhya. She is the mother of Bharata.[1]
Out of Dasharatha's three wives, Kaikeyi exerts the most influence. Formerly the princess of Kekeya, she is described to have served as an able counsellor to her husband during times of war. Initially loving and motherly towards her stepson, Prince Rama, Kaikeyi's mind is poisoned by Manthara, her maid. Under her influence, Rama is exiled to the forest for a period of fourteen years.
- ^ Rosen, Steven (30 October 2006). Essential Hinduism. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-313-07155-3.