Ashwapati

Ashwapati rules the kingdom of Kekaya in the northwest from his capital Rajagriha, also called Girivraja. His daughter Kaikeyi is married to Dasharatha, and his son Yudhajit is Bharata's maternal uncle.

At the end of the Bala Kanda, Yudhajit takes Bharata and Shatrughna to stay with their grandfather. They are still at Ashwapati's court when messengers arrive from Ayodhya, and Bharata takes leave of his grandfather to hurry home, not yet knowing that his father is dead.