scorecardresearch
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeDiplomacyAyodhya has 'important relations' with South Korea — Envoy refers to Indian...

Ayodhya has ‘important relations’ with South Korea — Envoy refers to Indian princess link

According to legend, an Indian princess named Suriratna, also known as Heo Hwang-ok, married Korean king Kim Suro more than 2,000 years ago.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

New Delhi: South Korea and the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh share important historic relations, Shin Bongkil, South Korea’s Ambassador to India, said Monday.

In an interview to ANI, the South Korean envoy referred to an Indian princess who married Korean king Kim Suro, according to an ancient history book of the country.

“Ayodhya has important relations with Korea. In Korea’s ancient history book, it’s written that a princess from Ayodhya married a Korean king, Kim Suro,” he said.

He added, “In archaeological findings from the king’s tomb, artefacts belonging to Ayodhya have been found.”

Bongkil’s remarks come just a day before the bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking) ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.


Also read: Loudspeakers, LED screens, 3D rangolis — ‘limited entry’ plan for Ram temple event in Ayodhya


An ancient, royal connection

Thousands of South Koreans reportedly visit Ayodhya every year as they believe they can trace their ancestry to the city.

Several historical Korean stories mention an Indian princess, Suriratna, also known as Heo Hwang-ok, who married King Suro of Geumgwan approximately 2,000 years ago. The two royals are believed to have started the Karak dynasty.

A version of the legend claims that the then Ayodhya king had a dream where God ordered him to send his 16-year-old daughter to South Korea, according to a BBC report.

Ancient Korean text ‘Samguk Yusa’ also speaks about King Suro’s wife who came from a distant land called Ayuta, which historians believe referred to Ayodhya since both names are phonetically similar.

Additionally, the symbol of the Geumgwan Kingdom is a twin fish symbol, which is also found in many historical monuments in Ayodhya.

This legend has given way to several cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In 2001, a memorial for the Indian princess was inaugurated in Ayodhya on the west bank of the Saryu river.

The same year, mayors of Ayodhya and the South Korean city of Kim Hae signed a Sister City Bond to encourage mutual cultural development.

Then, almost 15 years later, then-Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav agreed to develop the memorial as a world heritage site.

In 2018, as part of a state visit, South Korea’s First Lady attended a ceremony that marked the beginning of upgrading Princess Suriratna’s memorial, which was a joint project between the two Asian countries.


Also read: Phase I of Ram Mandir-themed station in ‘supernatural’ Ayodhya to be ready by 2021 — Railways


Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

7 COMMENTS

  1. Actually she is not from Ayothya. She is a Tamil girl from ayutha which is the famous city in the historical time. So please correct it. Its a History of TAMIL CULTURE

  2. Does everything has to be Ayodhya? She was a Tamil princess. It makes more sense too since, Tamil Nadu being a coastal area was more exposed to links with Korea then Uttar Pradesh.
    Fish symbol: it was an important symbol of the Pandya kingdom.

    *Also, Tamil and Korean vocabulary share a lot of similarity.*

    Cmn guys! Why are you sharing information (more like misinformation) so poorly researched.

    It is too late to comment but I did anyways as I found this article just now.

    • No she is from kanyakumari,Tamilnadu
      From reliable source:
      There are two other theories as to her origin. Either that she came from the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Thailand — another theory that seems flawed because the Thai city was not founded until 1350 CE, after the composition of Samguk Yusa.

  3. Its not ayodhya its adhaya (Kanyakumari) olden name of southern part of the india before producing the document check the true details and the history of India

    • Your statement is true. Why people are writing the history wrongly? Cant, they search properly. In her tomb, there was a symbol of two fishes which means she was descended from the King Pandiya From Tamilnadu in India.

  4. THE PRINT IS ANTI HINDU WEB PORTAL BY ALL MEANS.HUMILIATES AND ABUSE HINDU CULTURE KEEPING MIND IN BJP GOVERNMENT…CRORES OF HINDUS WONT BELONGS TO BJP ..

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular