Lava and Kusha are the twin sons of
lord Ram and
Sita. When Ram was denied kingship and exiled to the forest for 14 years, Sita too followed him. While in forest, Sita was kidnapped by
Ravana. Ram with the help of monkey warriors, succeeded in rescuing Sita. But when back home in Ayodhya, Sita's fidelity was suspected, since she had been in the custody of the
Rakshasa king. So Ram was forced to abandon his beloved wife in the forest. At that time, she was carrying.
In the hermitage of sage Valmiki, she gave birth to twin babies. Days passed and these children were taught the story of the Ramayana by Valmiki. Soon they became versatile in the Vedas and mantras. Lord Ram, haunted by the thoughts of Sita, decided to perform Ashwamedha. With this intention, he sent a sacrificial horse to demand allegiance from all.
Shatrughna, Ram's brother, was assigned to safeguard the horse. But in the ashram of Valmiki, they had to face a fight with Lava-Kusha. At last, all including Shatrughna had to give up before the prowess of the twins. When it was known that Lava-Kusha were the children of Lord Ram and Sita, Ayodhya celebrated it with great pomp.
