Pushkarāvatī was a city founded by Bharata, the second son of Daśaratha and an aṃśa (portion) of Saṃkarshaṇa. He founded it in the north-western lands after his great victory over the gandharva king Śailūsha. The city was made for his son Pushkara, and Bharata placed it under the care of Yudhājit, the king of Kekaya. Pushkarāvatī lay in the gandharva lands west of the Sindhu river. These lands had been taken back from asura rule and were made holy by Bharata’s conquest.

After the gandharva campaign

Bharata fought the gandharva king Śailūsha in a battle of seven days. Afterwards Indra granted Bharata a vara (boon): two cities, so that he could set his sons up as kings in the conquered land. The lands along the Sindhu and to its north-west had been held by the sons of Śailūsha. They had killed the local human rulers and set up asura rule. With Śailūsha dead and his army scattered, Bharata was given the task of setting up righteous rule in these lands.

Bharata had two sons, Pushkara and Taksha. He founded one city for each.

Founding and location

Pushkarāvatī was founded for Pushkara in the western gandharva lands. It lay in the region that had been the domain of the gandharvas, west of the Sindhu river, on the north-western frontier of Bhārata.

Bharata crowned Pushkara king of Pushkarāvatī with full royal honours, so that the new kingdom was rightly consecrated and well equipped. He then gave both Pushkarāvatī and Takshaśilā into the care of his mother’s brother, Yudhājit, the king of Kekaya. Yudhājit was to stay in the north-west and watch over the safety of both kingdoms.

The farewell at Rājagṛha

When the founding was done, Bharata led his sons and Yudhājit to the river bank near Rājagṛha for a deeply moving farewell. He embraced his sons and his mother’s brother in tears, blessed them and said goodbye. The two parties kept looking back at each other as they walked away, until they were out of sight. Bharata then returned to Ayodhyā, where after some months he met Rāma again.

Sources

Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Poorvārdha, Chapters 266–269 (Chapter 266: the gandharva campaign and the two cities; Chapter 269: the founding, the guardianship and the farewell)