According to Indian tradition and belief, Rama was the ideal king and his kingdom of ‘Rama Rajya’ represents the ideal state of governance.kalidasa, in his poem entitled ‘Raghuvamsa’ inspired by Valmiki’s Ramayana, traced the ancestry of Rama, chronicling the dynasty of the lkshwakus. Gandhiji was only reinforcing this firm belief when he named his ideal state ‘Rama Rajya’. Yet the predecessors of Rama, in his dynasty of the lkshwakus, were as valiant and as benign as Rama himself. This story tells of their deeds.

The heroes of epics have their tragic flaws because epics always tell the whole truth. Like Rama, his ancestors also had natural flaws in their characters, which do not diminish the glory of their personalities.

It is interesting to note that the Puranas trace the genealogy of Rama to the Sun or Surya. Some of the illustrious ancestors listed in the genealogy are Manu, lkshwaku, Harischandra, Rohita, Sagara, Bhagiratha, Ambarisha and Rituparna. Brihadbala, who fought in the Mahabharata war, is said to be a descendant of Rama.