Mahabharata Explorer

The Mahabharata is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India, traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa. At roughly 100,000 verses it is the longest epic poem in the world. It narrates the dynastic struggle between the Pandavas and Kauravas culminating in the Kurukshetra War, and contains the Bhagavad Gita.

The eighteen-day war was fought at Kurukshetra, in present-day Haryana, India, about 160 km north of Delhi. Our interactive map shows the battlefield along with the armies' camps on the Hiranvati river and the surrounding sacred sites.

The Pandavas are the five sons of King Pandu - Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva - married jointly to Draupadi. The Kauravas are their hundred cousins led by Duryodhana, sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra. Their rivalry over the throne of Hastinapura drives the epic.

The Bhagavad Gita is Krishna's discourse to Arjuna on duty, action, and devotion, delivered on the battlefield of Kurukshetra moments before the war began. It is one of the most influential philosophical texts in the world.

Hastinapura is identified with the modern town of Hastinapur in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, on the old bed of the Ganga. Archaeological excavations there have revealed settlements associated with the Painted Grey Ware culture, often linked to the Mahabharata period.

Each of the 135 locations is placed using modern scholarly and archaeological identifications where they exist - for example Indraprastha at Purana Qila in Delhi, Virata's capital at Bairat in Rajasthan, and Dwaraka off the Gujarat coast. Where identifications are disputed, the location notes say so.

Yes. Mahabharata Explorer is a free educational resource - the interactive map, all 196 stories, the timeline of 363 events, and the explorer of 135 characters require no account or payment.