What's the link between Ayodhya and South Korea? How the Indian princes united two nations

Last year, Chang Jae-Bok, South Korean Ambassador to India said that Ayodhya was "very important" for both countries. He said that South Korea would facilitate high-level participation of the country if the Indian government extended the invitation for the inauguration of the Ram temple.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at Ayodhya Ram temple is set to take place today. Representatives of more than 50 countries are invited for the ceremony. Kim Chil-su from South Korea, belonging to the Queen Heo dynasty, is one of them.

Queen Heo, also popularly known as Suriratna (her Indian name), was the princess of Ayodhya, who travelled to Korea to marry King Suro, reported Economic Times.

Queen Heo is believed to be Ayodhya's much-loved princess; it is also believed in South Korea, and in India too, that she travelled for three months in 48 AD to marry King Suro, who founded the Karak dynasty in 42 AD.

As per ET, some say that Queen Heo's parents once had a dream wherein a voice instructed them to send their daughter to Geumgwan Gaya as its King Suro was yet to find a queen. The couple sent their daughter in a boat with gifts to meet King Suru. The princess eventually met the king and the two got married.

South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook celebrated Diwali in Ayodhya in 2018 and was applauded and cheered at the events by locals and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, as per ET. The First Lady of South Korea was invited to Ayodhya when Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the historical connection between Ayodhya and South Korea and highlighted the Ayodhya-Lord Ram connected internationally.

Raja Ayodhya Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, reportedly known as the 'King of Ayodhya' and now a member of Ram Janmabhoomi Theertha Kshetra Trust, while talking to The Times Of India in 2018 recalls how ties between Ayodhya and South Korea revived in the mid-1990s.

He told that in 1996, a delegation from Inje University arrived in Ayodhya to trace Queen Heo's lineage and in 1999, they invited him to South Korea's capital and bestowed the highest honour upon us, adding that he felt proud to have played a key role in bringing India and South Korea closer. "They trust me and sent the plaque for Queen's memorial in my name."

Today, South Koreans trace their origin to the Karak clan in the capital of his kingdom which was Gimhae City.

Choe Chong-dae, a columnist at Korea Times, according to ET, wrote, "According to the 'Samguk Yusa', a 13th-century Korean historical chronicle, India-Korea friendship began in 48 A.D., when Princess Suriratna journeyed from Ayodhya, India, to Korea to marry King Kim Su-ro and subsequently became Queen Heo Hwang-ok of the Gaya Kingdom (42-562 A.D.)."

Kim Byung-mo, a senior archeologist and a professor at Hanyang University, South Korea, whose family (clan) originates from Gimhae, shared his decades-long academic research in the book portraying the Kims' genetic link with the royal family of Ayodhya, According to ET, he wrote that Korea and India shared genes since the union of King Kim Su-ro with Queen Heo.

As per ET, there is no solid evidence of it yet but recent genetic studies have pointed out at Queen Heo's possible link to India. 'Samguk Yusa' is the only source of this legend.

The Queen Huh Memorial Park was established in Ayodhya by the UP government in collaboration with the Gimhae City of South Korea in 2001, covering approximately 2,000 sq mt, which includes a meditation hall, queen and king pavilions, pathways, fountain, murals and audio-video facilities. Since then, several of the Karak dynasty descendants of Queen Heo have been visiting India.

The link of Queen Heo to India is luring South Korean companies like Hyundai, LG and Samsung to invest more in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath signed an MoU with South Korea to enhance bilateral relations in 2018.

N Parthasarathi, who served as ambassador to South Korea, wrote a novel, 'The Legend of Ayodhya Princess in Korea' in Korean as ‘Bi Dan Hwang Hoo’ (Silk Empress).

Last year, Chang Jae-Bok, South Korean Ambassador to India said that Ayodhya was "very important" for both counties. He said that South Korea will facilitate a high-level participation of the country if the Indian government extended the invitation for the inauguration of the Ram temple.

"Ayodhya is very important for both of us historically," he said. "The legend about an Indian princess marrying a Korean king 2,000 years ago has an Ayodhya connection, as one of our history books has a mention of a princess from Ayuta. I don't know if Ayuta is Ayodhya but it's Ayuta in Korean language. It is generally assumed that Ayuta was Ayodhya or Ayodhya was Ayuta."