Kalmashapada

Kalmashapada (Sanskrit: कल्माषपाद, romanized: Kalmāṣapāda), is a king In Hindu scriptures, who was cursed to be a rakshasa (demon) by the sage Shakti. He is speculated as an ancestor of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu and the hero of the Hindu epicRamayana.

Many texts narrate how Kalmashapada was cursed to die if he had intercourse with his queen, so he obtained a son from Vashishtha by niyoga, an ancient tradition whereby a husband can nominate another man to impregnate his wife. Kalmashapada's story is narrated in various works, including the classic epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the Puranas.