September 2024 Update
Ila
Ila (Sanskrit: इल) or Ilā (Sanskrit: इला) is a deity in Hindu legends, known for their sex changes.
As a man, they are called Ila or Sudyumna, and as a woman, they are called Ilā.
Ila is the child of Vaivasvata Manu and Shraddha.
Depending on the version of the tale, Ila is either born female and changed into a male by divine grace or born male.
In the Linga Purana and the Mahabharata, Ila is initially a daughter who is transformed into a male, Sudyumma, by the deities Mitra and Varuna.
Other texts suggest that Ila's parents prayed for a son but ended up with a daughter due to a ritual mistake.
As an adult, Ila enters a sacred grove of Parvati and is cursed to change gender monthly or to become a woman permanently.
Ilā’s alternating gender condition is sometimes lifted, allowing Ila to remain permanently male, depending on the version of the tale.
As Sudyumma, Ila also fathers three sons who rule different regions.
In the Matsya Purana, Ila is disinherited due to the gender changes, and the kingdom is passed to Pururavas.
Some texts mention Ila achieving salvation by merging with the Supreme Goddess.
The tale of Ila's transformations is told in the Puranas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, highlighting the complex interplay of gender and divine intervention in Hindu mythology.
Ila is associated with events from the ancient Hindu texts, which place her existence in the early ages of the cosmic time cycle known as Yugas.
Specifically, Ila lived during the Satya Yuga (also known as Krita Yuga), the first and the most virtuous of the four Yugas in Hindu cosmology.
The Satya Yuga is characterized by truth, virtue, and moral integrity, and it is the age where many primordial events and legendary figures, including Ila, are situated.
This period is marked by the creation and early development of human civilization, where divine interactions and miraculous occurrences are more prevalent, fitting well with the transformative and divine nature of Ila's story.
Four Yugas
Lunar Dynasty (Chandravansha): Founded by Ila and later propagated by Pururavas, this dynasty includes notable kings like Yayati, Nahusha, and Yudhishthira (from the Mahabharata).
The Hindu Puranic King List
Lunar Dynasty (Chandravansha): Founded by Ila and later propagated by Pururavas, this dynasty includes notable kings like Yayati, Nahusha, and Yudhishthira (from the Mahabharata).