Kusha

In the Ramayana, the earlier of the two
great Indian epics, Kusha is one of the
twin sons of Rama, the epic’s protagonist. After their mother, Sita, has been
cast into exile at the ashram of the sage
Valmiki, Kusha is born in an unusual
fashion. One day when Sita takes her
son Lava to bathe in the river, Valmiki
notices that the child is gone and fears
that it has been seized by a wild animal.
To spare Sita’s motherly feelings, he
creates an identical child out of
kusha grass. When Sita returns with
Lava, his twin is given the name
Kusha. Later, Lava and Kusha go with
Valmiki to Rama’s court in Ayodhya.
It is in Rama’s court that they first
recite the epic poem composed by
Valmiki, the Ramayana. After Rama
gives up his throne, he divides his
kingdom between Lava and Kusha.