Kaikeyi (Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a prominent character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is depicted as a princess of the Kekeya kingdom and a queen of Kosala, having married King Dasharatha, who ruled from the capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Bharata.
Among Dasharatha's three consorts, Kaikeyi is described as the favourite, and is portrayed as exerting the most influence within the royal household. The epic narrates that, prior to her marriage, she was an accomplished princess, and later served as an able counsellor to her husband during times of war.
Kaikeyi is initially shown as loving and motherly towards her stepson, Prince Rama. According to the narrative, her thinking is later turned against Rama through the influence of her maid, Manthara. As a consequence of this, Rama is sent into exile to the forest for a period of fourteen years, an event that forms a pivotal turn in the epic.
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Kaikeyi.