Anga’s prolonged drought

Anga’s prolonged drought is a kingdom-wide calamity associated with King Lomapad’s folly and ended by the arrival of the revered ascetic Rishyasringa. The narrative marks the reversal in elemental terms: after many years without rain, a flood descends from heaven and the parched land is gladdened.

Cause and Extent

The account places the drought during Lomapad’s rule on the throne of Anga and links the catastrophe to a folly committed by the king. It gives no further detail about that act, but makes its consequence unmistakable: rain fails for many years, and grievous drought brings ruin to the land. The disaster is therefore both environmental and political, a calamity that falls upon the kingdom under its ruler’s reign.

Rishyasringa and the Reversal

The drought’s end is connected with Rishyasringa, a revered ascetic who is led from his quiet retreat toward the city. As he proceeds with his guides, rain is sent from heaven in a great flood. The change is immediate in the account’s telling: the king’s troubles end, and blessed streams descend upon the thirsty land. Rishyasringa’s arrival thus coincides with the decisive return of rain, reversing the prolonged deprivation that had afflicted Anga.

Consequences and Narrative Significance

The narrative contrasts the long absence of rain with its sudden abundance. The drought threatens the whole land, while the downpour restores hope and ends the king’s troubles; relief is expressed not only as a change in weather but as the renewal of a thirsty country. The episode makes the kingdom’s welfare visibly vulnerable to royal folly, then presents Rishyasringa’s arrival as the turning point through which the crisis gives way to abundance.