What is "nala"

Nala, a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishada Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling. He is possessed by the demon Kali (not the goddess Kali).

Nala is a fictional lioness, a character who appears in the Disney Lion King franchise. Introduced in the animated film The Lion King in 1994, Nala subsequently appears as a less prominent character in the film's sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1½ (2004). In the original film, the adult Nala was voiced by American actress Moira Kelly. Young Nala's speaking voice is provided by actress Niketa Calame, while singers Laura Williams and Sally Dworsky provide the singing voices of young and adult Nala respectively.

Nala is introduced as the childhood best friend of Simba, and ultimately becomes his wife by the end of The Lion King. Several years after Simba's uncle Scar has killed Simba's father Mufasa and usurped the throne, Nala desperately ventures into the jungle to find help. Upon unexpectedly reuniting with a grown Simba, who she had long been tricked by Scar into presuming dead, Nala encourages him to return to Pride Rock, overthrow his uncle and ultimately become king. As Simba's queen, Nala has a daughter, Kiara, whose story is explored in The Lion King: Simba's Pride.

Nala is the most significant female character in The Lion King. As the film was inspired by William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Nala is considered to be The Lion King's equivalent of Hamlet's love interest Ophelia, although differences remain between the two characters. Many early concepts first developed for Nala were eventually abandoned, including a brother and father for the character, as well as her being romantically pursued by Scar. While critical reception towards Nala has been generally mixed – both film and feminist critics complained about the character's lack of involvement in the story and supposedly submissive demeanor during the song " Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Kelly's vocal performance has been praised.

Nala appears in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film, first played by singer Heather Headley. The character also appears in the television series The Lion Guard, with Gabrielle Union replacing Kelly as the voice of Nala.

Nala is a king in Hindu mythology.

Nala may also refer to:

Nala is an administrative ward in the Dodoma Urban district of the Dodoma Region of Tanzania. According to the 2002 census, the ward has a total population of 9,788.

Nala (Vidhan Sabha constituency) is an assembly constituency in the Indian state of Jharkhand.

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Nala is the vanara (monkey), who is credited as the engineer of the Rama Setu, a bridge across the ocean between Rameswaram (India) and Lanka, identified with modern-day Sri Lanka, so forces of the god Rama can pass over to Lanka. The bridge is also known as Nala Setu, the bridge of Nala. Sometimes, another vanara called Nila is also credited as the builder of the bridge. Nala is described as the architect of the vanaras. Nala is also described to have fought in the battle between Rama and Ravana, the king of Lanka.