Puranjaya
An Ikshvaku king who rode the bull Indra, and gave his name to Rama's title Kakutstha.
Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Puranic tradition, with other tellings (Valmiki Ramayana (Bala Kanda genealogy), Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha) noted where relevant.
Kakutstha is a king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Rama is often called Kakutstha, "descendant of Kakutstha". Ancient lists of the Ikshvaku kings differ in names and order, so his exact place in the line varies by text.
In the Puranas, Kakutstha, also called Puranjaya, helped the gods in a war against the demons. Indra took the form of a bull and Kakutstha rode on its hump (kakud), which gave him his name.
This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above. Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.