heaven. Descendants of Rama (Cantos 16 to 19) Canto 16 – Kusha's return to Ayodhya and marriage One night, Kusha is visited by the deity of the now-abandoned city Ayodhya, who begs him to return to it. He does so, and there he marries Kumudvati. Canto 17 – King Atithi Kusha's son is Atithi, and his reign is described. Canto 18 – Later kings The dynasty continues, with a line of twenty one kings who succeeded Atithi. Canto 19 – Agnivarna The last described king, Agnivarna, gives in to a hedonistic life of pleasure, leaving the kingdom to his ministers to run. Even when he is required to make a presence before his subjects, he merely hangs his left foot out of a window. This canto serves as contrast to the earlier cantos describing glorious kings. He is consumed by disease and dies. His pregnant queen mounts the throne, and the people hope for a better future. Geographical and historical references The warrior Raghu leads a military expedition to Transoxiana. He defeats and subjugates local people along the way (presumably on his march through Central Asia) until he reaches the Vakshu, as the ancient Indians called the Oxus River. There, Raghu's army battles the Hepthalites, or White Huns, whom the Indians called Hunas and Mlecchas (who do not speak Sanskrit). The Hepthalites are defeated, and the Raghuvaṃśa boasts of "The exploits of Raghu, whose valor expressed itself amongst the husbands of the Huna women, became manifest in the scarlet colour of their cheeks." After crossing the Oxus, Raghu and his army encountered the Kambojas, an ancient Indo-Scythian people often mentioned in Indian texts. The Kambojas submitted to Raghu and offered him gifts and treasures. Evidently, the Kambojas dwelt in the vicinity of the Pamirs. Kalidasa describes the preponderance of walnut trees in the Oxus country, this particular region is still known for the cultivation of walnuts. Metres used in the epic The epic is composed in 21 Sanskrit metres, namely Anuṣṭubh, Indravajrā, Upajāti, Upendravajrā, Aupacchandasika, Toṭaka, Drutavilambita, Puṣpitāgrā, Praharṣiṇī, Mañjubhāṣiṇī, Mattamayūra, Mandākrāntā, Mālinī, Rathoddhatā, Vaṃśastha, Vasantatilakā, Vaitālīya, Śārdūlavikrīḍita, Śālinī, Svāgatā, Hariṇī. Editions and translations The Raghuvaṃśa has been published and translated many times. . Part 1: Cantos 1-6(Alt), Part 3: Cantos 14-19 Parab (1888) The Raghuvamsha of Kâlidâsa: with the commentary of Mallinatha English prose translation (author unknown) in P. de Lacy Johnstone (1902), The Raghuvança, the story of Raghu's