Mahabharata

Who Is Who in the Mahabharata

Forty important characters, grouped by family. Tap a picture to read their full story, their parents and family, and what we can learn from them.

40 characters

Elders of the Kuru family

Illustration of King Shantanu, a dignified king with a dark beard, a golden crown and royal robes, standing by a river

Shantanu

The Kuru king whose love began everything

King of Hastinapur, husband of Ganga and later Satyavati, and father of Bhishma; the Mahabharata family story begins with him.

Illustration of the goddess Ganga, a graceful woman in blue and white robes with pearl jewellery, surrounded by rings of flowing water

Ganga

The river goddess, mother of Bhishma

The holy river goddess who married King Shantanu and became the mother of Bhishma, freeing seven heavenly sons from a curse.

Illustration of Satyavati, a dark-haired young woman in a green sari, rowing a small wooden boat on a calm river

Satyavati

The fisherman's daughter who became queen mother

A fisherman's daughter who married King Shantanu; mother of Vyasa, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, and great-grandmother of the Kauravas and Pandavas.

Illustration of Bhishma, an elderly warrior with a long white beard, a silver crown and a bow, wearing white robes

Bhishma

The grandsire who never broke his vow

Son of Shantanu and Ganga who gave up throne and marriage for his father's happiness, and guarded the Kuru family all his life.

Illustration of the sage Vyasa, an old dark-skinned sage with long matted hair and a white beard, sitting in a forest with palm-leaf manuscripts

Vyasa

The sage who composed the Mahabharata

The island-born sage, son of Parashara and Satyavati, who arranged the Vedas, composed the Mahabharata and was grandfather of the Kauravas and Pandavas.

Illustration of King Dhritarashtra, an elderly blind king with closed eyes, a grey beard and a jewelled crown, seated on a throne

Dhritarashtra

The blind king blinded by love

The blind king of Hastinapur, father of the hundred Kauravas, whose blind love for his son Duryodhana led the family into the great war.

Illustration of Queen Gandhari, a noble woman in a deep red sari with a cloth tied over her eyes and a simple crown

Gandhari

The queen who chose to share the darkness

Princess of Gandhara who blindfolded herself for her blind husband Dhritarashtra; mother of the hundred Kauravas, who always told her sons to follow dharma.

Illustration of King Pandu, a pale-skinned young king with a golden crown and a bow, standing in a forest

Pandu

The pale king, father of the Pandavas

King of Hastinapur and younger brother of Dhritarashtra; a great conqueror, husband of Kunti and Madri, and father of the five Pandava brothers.

Illustration of Kunti, a graceful middle-aged queen in a white and maroon sari, with a gentle but strong expression

Kunti

Mother of the Pandavas, strong in sorrow

Born Pritha, Krishna's aunt and Pandu's queen; mother of Karna, Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna, who led all five Pandavas through every hardship.

Illustration of Madri, a beautiful young queen in a golden-yellow sari with flowers in her hair, standing in a spring forest

Madri

Princess of Madra, mother of the twins

Pandu's second queen and sister of King Shalya of Madra; mother of the twin Pandavas Nakula and Sahadeva, who followed her husband in death.

Illustration of Vidura, a calm elderly minister with a grey beard, simple white clothes and a scroll in his hand

Vidura

The wise minister who always spoke truth

Wise half-brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, born to a palace maid through Vyasa; minister of Hastinapur who always stood for dharma.

The Pandavas and their family

Illustration of Yudhishthira, a calm young king with a neat beard, a golden crown and a spear, wearing blue royal robes

Yudhishthira

The eldest Pandava, king of dharma

Eldest Pandava, son of Kunti and the god Dharma, known for truthfulness; he lost everything at dice but later ruled as a just king.

Illustration of Bhima, a tall, broad-shouldered warrior with a thick moustache and a huge golden mace on his shoulder

Bhima

The mighty Pandava with a heart of gold

Second Pandava, son of Kunti through the wind god Vayu; the strongest man of his age, who protected his family and kept every vow he made.

Arjuna

The great archer and friend of Krishna

Third Pandava, son of Kunti through Indra; the greatest archer of his time and Krishna’s dearest friend, who heard the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield.

Portrait of Nakula, a handsome young prince holding a sword, with a horse beside him

Nakula

The handsome twin, master of horses

The fourth Pandava, son of Madri and twin of Sahadeva, famous for his good looks, his swordsmanship and his skill with horses.

Portrait of Sahadeva, a calm young prince with a crown, holding a palm-leaf book

Sahadeva

The youngest and wisest Pandava

The youngest Pandava, twin of Nakula, a wise and learned prince who conquered the south and kept his vow to defeat Shakuni.

Portrait of Draupadi, a dignified queen in a rich sari with long open hair, hands folded in prayer

Draupadi

The fire-born queen of the Pandavas

Daughter of King Drupada, born from a sacred fire, wife of the five Pandavas, a queen of rare courage who trusted Shri Krishna completely.

Portrait of Abhimanyu, a teenage warrior with a bow, standing before a spiral battle formation

Abhimanyu

The brave young hero of the Chakravyuha

Son of Arjuna and Subhadra, a sixteen-year-old warrior who broke into Drona’s Chakravyuha and fought alone against many great warriors.

Portrait of Hidimbi, a gentle woman of the forest standing among tall trees

Hidimbi

The forest princess who loved Bhima

A rakshasi of the forest, sister of Hidimba, who chose truth over her brother’s cruelty, married Bhima and became Ghatotkacha’s mother.

Portrait of Ghatotkacha, a giant warrior with a mace, flying against a night sky

Ghatotkacha

Bhima’s mighty son, hero of the night

The giant son of Bhima and Hidimbi, master of rakshasa magic, who saved Arjuna’s life by drawing Karna’s divine weapon on the fourteenth night.

The Kauravas and their friends

Portrait of Duryodhana, a proud prince in a golden crown holding a heavy mace

Duryodhana

The proud eldest Kaurava prince

The eldest son of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, whose jealousy of the Pandavas and refusal to share the kingdom led to the Kurukshetra war.

Portrait of Dushasana, a stern Kaurava prince in armour holding a mace

Dushasana

Duryodhana’s loyal younger brother

The second of the hundred Kauravas, who dragged Draupadi into the royal court and was later slain by Bhima, who had vowed it.

Portrait of Vikarna, a young Kaurava prince standing tall with one hand raised as he speaks

Vikarna

The Kaurava who spoke up for justice

One of Duryodhana’s brothers, the only Kaurava who stood up in the dice hall and said Draupadi had been treated unjustly.

Portrait of Shakuni, a sharp-eyed older man holding a pair of dice

Shakuni

The cunning uncle and master of dice

Prince of Gandhara and brother of Gandhari, the clever uncle of Duryodhana who won the Pandavas’ kingdom through a deceitful game of dice.

Portrait of Karna, a noble warrior with golden armour and earrings, the sun shining behind him

Karna

The generous warrior, son of the Sun

Kunti’s first son, born of the Sun god and raised by a charioteer, who became Duryodhana’s truest friend and the most generous giver of his age.

Portrait of Jayadratha, a king in a tall crown and armour standing at the gate of a battle formation

Jayadratha

King of Sindhu, the Kauravas’ brother-in-law

King of Sindhu and husband of Duhshala, the Kauravas’ only sister, who tried to carry off Draupadi and later held the Pandavas back at the Chakravyuha.

Krishna and the Yadavas

Portrait of Shri Krishna, blue-skinned with a peacock feather in his crown, holding the reins of Arjuna’s chariot

Shri Krishna

Friend, guide and charioteer of the Pandavas

Lord Vishnu’s avatar and the Pandavas’ cousin, who guided them, protected Draupadi, drove Arjuna’s chariot and taught him the Bhagavad Gita at Kurukshetra.

Balarama, fair and strong, in blue clothes, holding a plough on his shoulder

Balarama

Elder brother of Shri Krishna

Krishna’s mighty elder brother and master of the mace, who taught both Bhima and Duryodhana and would not fight against either side.

Subhadra, a graceful young woman in pink, with a gentle smile and a lamp in her hands

Subhadra

Krishna's beloved sister, mother of Abhimanyu

Krishna and Balarama's dear sister, who married Arjuna, became the mother of Abhimanyu and the grandmother of King Parikshit.

Teachers, kings and warriors

Dronacharya, an elderly sage-warrior with a white beard, holding a bow, in saffron clothes

Dronacharya

The great teacher of the Kuru princes

Son of sage Bharadwaja and master of all weapons, who trained the Pandavas and Kauravas and led the Kaurava army for five days.

Kripacharya, a calm elderly teacher with a grey beard, holding a bow and a palm-leaf book

Kripacharya

First teacher of the Kuru princes

Son of sage Sharadvan, raised by King Shantanu out of compassion, the Kuru teacher who survived the war and later guided King Parikshit.

Ashwatthama, a fierce young warrior in dark armour, with a glowing gem on his forehead

Ashwatthama

Drona's son, the warrior with the gem

Dronacharya's only son, born with a gem on his forehead, who carried out the night raid after the war and was cursed by Krishna.

King Drupada, an elderly king with a crown and white moustache, seated on a throne

Drupada

King of Panchala, father of Draupadi

The king of Panchala who broke his boyhood promise to Drona, became the father of Draupadi and stood by the Pandavas till his death.

Dhrishtadyumna, a young warrior in golden armour rising from flames, holding a sword

Dhrishtadyumna

Born from fire, commander of the Pandavas

The son of King Drupada who rose from a sacred fire, brother of Draupadi, and commander-in-chief of the Pandava army throughout the war.

Shikhandi, a warrior with long hair and a bow, standing in a chariot with a calm, firm face

Shikhandi

Amba reborn, the cause of Bhishma's fall

The child of King Drupada, born as a daughter and raised as a son, who was Amba reborn and became the cause of Bhishma's fall.

King Shalya, a strong middle-aged king with a crown, holding a spear and the reins of a chariot

Shalya

King of Madra, uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva

Madri's brother and king of Madra, who set out to help the Pandavas, was won over by Duryodhana, and led the Kauravas on the final day.

Ekalavya, a young forest archer in simple clothes, bowing before a clay statue of Drona

Ekalavya

The devoted archer of the forest

The Nishada prince who learned archery before a clay image of Drona, and gave his right thumb when Drona asked for it as his fee.

Other important people

Sanjaya, a calm man in white, seated beside an old blind king, with a soft light around his eyes

Sanjaya

Dhritarashtra's charioteer with divine sight

The son of Gavalgana, charioteer and counsellor of blind King Dhritarashtra, who received divine sight from Vyasa and narrated the war and the Bhagavad Gita.

Princess Uttara, a young woman in pink and gold, holding her hands in prayer

Uttara

Princess of Matsya, mother of Parikshit

The princess of Matsya who learned dance from Arjuna in disguise, married Abhimanyu and became the mother of King Parikshit.

Illustration of King Parikshit, a young king with a golden crown and a kind face

Parikshit

Grandson of Arjuna, king after the Pandavas

The son of Abhimanyu and Uttara, revived by Krishna at birth, who ruled Hastinapur after the Pandavas; his death led to the Mahabharata's first telling.

Retold from the traditional Mahabharata of Sage Ved Vyasa. Some details differ between regions and traditions. Illustrations are artistic.