The story of an Indian princess believed to have become a Korean queen around 48 AD continues to fascinate readers even today. According to ancient tradition, a young woman known as Suriratna is said to have left her homeland in India and sailed across the sea to the Korean peninsula. There, she is believed to have married King Kim Suro, the founder of the Gaya kingdom, and later became known as Queen Heo Hwang-ok. This appears in old Korean texts such as the Samguk Yusa, which blends history and folklore. Some researchers connect her original land, called “Ayuta,” with India’s Ayodhya, although this remains debated. In Korean tradition, she is remembered as part of the royal lineage and cultural heritage, with clans such as the Gimhae Kim tracing their ancestry to her. While widely cherished, modern historians continue to question its historical accuracy due to limited archaeological evidence and interpret it as a powerful cultural legend.
