King Sagara was the king of Ayodhya and he had 60,000 sons. The story of the birth of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara is found in the Bala Kanda or Ramayana. The story is narrated by Sage Koushika to Bhagavan Sri Rama.
King Sagara had two wives – Keshini and Sumati. Since he did not have any offspring, the king went to the Himalayas and performed intense austerities on the mountain known as Bhriguprasravana. The king was able to please Sage Bhrigu after a period of one hundred years. Sage Bhrigu told the king that one of his wives will give birth to a son who will extended the lineage. The other will give birth to sixty thousand sons.
On hearing the words of the king, Keshini wished to have a son who would extend the lineage. Sumati wished to be the mother of 60,ooo sons who would be great in endeavor and famous.
After sometime, Keshini gave birth to a son. This son of Sagara came to be known as Asamanja.
Sumati gave birth to a gourd. When this gourd was shattered, 60,000 sons emerged. Nursemaids nurtured them in pots filled with ghee and reared them there. After several years, they became youths and in due course of time the 60,000 sons became handsome adults.