Why Luv and Kush still matter in India’s 21st‑century cultural landscape

Their legacy bridges epics and religions, shaping cultural continuity

In the 20th century, the Swaminarayan faith has built a significant number of Hindu temples in India and outside the country. As with all Hindu temples, it is favoured by certain communities over others. The Patel or Patidar community in Gujarat, closely associated with the Swaminarayan faith, identifies itself as descending from Ram's children, Luv and Kush, and regards itself as Kshatriyas. However, it’s a much more complex story.

Different readings of the Ramayana present variations in the story of Luv and Kush. In some versions, both are Sita's children. In others, only Luv is Sita's son, while Kush is created by Valmiki from Kusha grass. These accounts suggest that Valmiki loses sight of Luv, panics, and creates a replacement using Kusha grass to comfort Sita.

This has led to arguments that Luv, as Ram's son, exhibits more Kshatriya traits, while Kush displays more Brahmin traits. The story becomes even more intriguing when one considers the Vedic period. During yajnas, entertainers known as Kusha-lava performed two roles before the king. First, they praised the king's Kshatriya valour, recounting his victories over enemies and acquisition of cattle for the clan. Then, in the manner of Brahmins, they commended the king for his generosity in rewarding them with cattle.

The idea of Luv and Kush as the ancestors of communities extends beyond Hinduism. In Sikhism, despite its distinction from Hinduism, many Sikh leaders, such as the Bedis and Sodhis, identify themselves as descendants of Luv and Kush. Many Rajput families along the Aravallis and trading communities of Lahore and Kasur also claim descent from them. Thus, these relatively minor characters in the Ramayana play a significant role in Indian culture, with their stories often used to define caste pride.

Historically, claiming royal lineage has been advantageous for leading a community in India, and Ram's lineage, the Ikshvaku clan, was considered the most prestigious. Therefore, it is not surprising that even Buddha is said to belong to this clan. Jains claim that Mahavir and many of their Tirthankaras were also from this lineage.

Even the Sri Lankan kings, in the land allegedly ruled by Ravan, trace their ancestry to the Ikshvaku clan, with King Okkaka of Sri Lanka claiming descent from it. In Sinhalese folk traditions, instead of two, Sita has three sons. The story goes that Valmiki does produce the second child using ‘Kusha’ grass and his magical powers, but Sita does not believe in his capability of doing so. To prove his capability, he takes a flower and fashions a child out of flowers, and thus creates a third child. These three children defeat Ram in battle and become a famous trio of gods, invoked as guardians of kings.

Some have argued that Luv and Kush were not in the original Ramayana, and that the story elaborated itself over time to demonstrate father-son conflict, similar to that found in the Mahabharata between Arjun and Babruvahan over the sacrificial horse. In the earliest versions of the Valmiki Ramayana, dated between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the king hears the two boys sing with vina in hand during a ritual, and finally remembers his wife, recognises the children, after which his wife Sita decides to disappear under the earth.

The earliest references to Luv and Kush capturing Ram's royal horse, which brings them into conflict with Ram's army, come from Jain narratives, such as the Paumachariya of Vimalasuri, composed in the Prakrit language around the 3rd century CE, where Ram is called Padma and the boys are referred to as Lavana and Ankusha.

This is later found in the 5th-century Padma Purana and the 8th-century Sanskrit play Uttararamacharita by Bhavbhuti. In a much later narrative, the 12th-century Jaiminiya Ashwamedha, there is a reference that Ram did not even pay attention to the songs that Luv and Kush were singing, upsetting the boys. They then noticed the golden statue of Sita beside Ram and realised that the king they were praising had abandoned his wife, described as the faithful one in the Valmiki Ramayana. This is what turns the boys against Ram, and transforms them into warriors.

What seem like minor characters in an epic become anchors to community identity. That is what makes Ramayana still relevant in the 21st century.

Devdutt Pattanaik is the author of more than 50 books on mythology.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)