Epics of India: Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A

Setting:

Ayodhya - Birthplace of Lord Rama; Setting of Ramayana; Located in the Kingdom of Kosala; Some believe it to be the origin of the legendary city Ayodhya;

Sarayu - River that runs through the city of Ayodhya

Kosala Kingdom - Ancient Indian kingdom;

Etymology:

Ayodhya - "The word "Ayodhya" is a regularly formed derivation of the Sanskrit verb yudh, "to fight, to wage war". Yodhya is the future passive participle, meaning "to be fought"; the initial a is the negative prefix; the whole, therefore, means "not to be fought" or, more idiomatically in English, "invincible"."

Sarayu - "Sanskrit root sar "to flow"; as a masculine stem, saráyu- means "air, wind", i.e. "that which is streaming"."

Geography:

Ayodhya - "Ayodhya has a humid subtropical climate, typical of central India. Summers are long, dry and hot, lasting from late March to mid-June, with average daily temperatures near 32 °C (90 °F). They are followed by the monsoon season which lasts till October, with annual precipitation of approximately 1,067 mm (42.0 in) and average temperatures around 28 °C (82 °F). Winter starts in early November and lasts till the end of January, followed by a short spring in February and early March. Average temperatures are mild, near 16 °C (61 °F), but nights can be colder."

Kosala - "The Kosala region had three major cities, Ayodhya, Saket and Shravasti, and a number of minor towns as Setavya, Ukattha,Dandakappa, Nalakapana and Pankadha. According to the Puranas and the Ramayana epic, Ayodhya was the capital of Kosala during the reign of Ikshvaku and his descendants.^[32] Shravasti is recorded as the capital of Kosala during the Mahajanapada period (6th–5th centuries BCE),^[33] but post-Maurya (2nd–1st centuries BCE) kings issued their coins from Ayodhya"