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Kanyakubja – Story of the city of hunchbacked maidens

Kanyakubja means the city of hunchbacked maidens. The story of this sad city is associated with a curse of Vayu.

Kushanabh was the king of Mahodayapur. He married Ghritachi, an apsara or heavenly damsel.

Kanyakubja – Story of the city of hunchbacked maidens

They had several daughters. They were as beautiful as their heavenly maiden mother.

The beautiful maidens were proud of their beauty. And this pride led to their downfall.

Vayu, the Hindu God of wind, approached the maidens for marriage. But they refused the proposal by saying that He was not of their standards.

An angry Vayu cursed them to become hunchbacks or Kubja.

From then onwards the capital city of King Kushanabh came to be known as Kanyakubja.