Manthara was a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana, who was the personal maid of Queen Kaikeyi, the mother of Bharata, Lord Rama’s younger stepbrother. Manthara did not like Lord Rama because she feared that he would be crowned as the king of Ayodhya, which would threaten the position and power of her beloved Queen Kaikeyi and her son Bharata.
According to the Ramayana, King Dasaratha, Lord Rama’s father, had promised Kaikeyi two boons as a reward for saving his life in a battle. Kaikeyi, influenced by Manthara’s words, asked for the first boon to be that Bharata should be crowned as the king of Ayodhya instead of Lord Rama. When King Dasaratha refused to comply with her request, Kaikeyi demanded the second boon that Lord Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years.
Manthara’s animosity towards Lord Rama stemmed from her desire to ensure that Bharata became the king of Ayodhya and that her own position and power were secure. Her selfish motives and manipulative nature led to a chain of events that caused great sorrow and hardship for Lord Rama and his family. However, ultimately, Lord Rama’s righteousness and devotion to dharma prevailed, and he is remembered as an ideal king and an embodiment of moral and ethical values.