In the Ayodhya Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, King Dasharatha prepares to crown his eldest son, Rama. Manthara, a hunchbacked servant of Queen Kaikeyi, hears the news. Valmiki calls her jnatidasi, a servant of Kaikeyi’s family who had lived with her since her birth.
Manthara tells the queen: “think of a solution to get your son Bharata the kingdom and to send Rama, your enemy, to exile.” Kaikeyi acts on her advice, and Rama is sent into exile.