Kingdom48
- Kingdom
Ahichchhatra
अहिच्छत्र
The capital of northern Panchala. When the Kuru princes defeated Drupada as guru-dakshina for Drona, Drona kept the northern half of Panchala with Ahichchhatra as its seat, leaving Drupada the south (Adi Parva).
- Kingdom
Anga
अंग
The eastern kingdom given to Karna by Duryodhana during the tournament. This act of friendship bound Karna to Duryodhana forever.
- Kingdom
Ashmaka
अश्मक
The southern kingdom on the Godavari, the only major realm of the Dakshinapatha in early king-lists. Ashmaka warriors fought in the Kurukshetra war, and an Ashmaka prince fell to Abhimanyu in the Chakravyuha (Drona Parva).
- Kingdom
Avanti
अवन्ति
The kingdom of Ujjayini, ruled by the Vinda and Anuvinda brothers who fought for the Kauravas.
- Kingdom
Bahlika
बाह्लीक
The distant trans-Indus kingdom identified with Balkh in northern Afghanistan. King Bahlika, elder brother of Shantanu, ruled here, and his son Somadatta and grandson Bhurishravas fought for the Kauravas.
- Kingdom
Chedi
चेदि
Kingdom of Shishupala, cousin of Krishna. Shishupala was killed by Krishna's Sudarshana Chakra at the Rajasuya yagna after 100 insults. Its capital Shuktimati lay in the Bundelkhand region along the Ken river.
- Kingdom
Dasharna
दशार्ण
The kingdom of King Hiranyavarman in eastern Malwa, around modern Vidisha. His daughter was married to Shikhandi, and the king's furious discovery of the affair led to the Yaksha Sthunakarna granting Shikhandi manhood (Udyoga Parva).
- Kingdom
Dwaraka
द्वारका
The legendary city of Krishna, built on the coast of Gujarat. A city of gold that was later submerged in the sea.
- Kingdom
Gandhara
गान्धार
The kingdom of Gandhara, ruled by King Subala. The home of Gandhari and Shakuni.
- Kingdom
Girivraja
गिरिव्रज
The capital of Magadha, surrounded by five hills. Here Bhima fought and killed Jarasandha in a wrestling match.
- Kingdom
Hastinapur
हस्तिनापुर
The grand capital of the Kuru Kingdom, ruled by the Kauravas. The throne of Hastinapur was the center of power and the cause of the great war.
- Kingdom
Indraprastha
इंद्रप्रस्थ
The magnificent city built for the Pandavas by Maya Danava. It was the capital of the Pandava kingdom and shone like Indra's heaven.
- Kingdom
Kalinga
कलिंग
The eastern coastal kingdom, known for its fierce warriors. The kings of Kalinga fought in the Kurukshetra war.
- Kingdom
Kamboja
कम्बोज
The far northwestern kingdom famed for its magnificent horses, located beyond Gandhara in the region of modern eastern Afghanistan. Its king Sudakshina brought an entire akshauhini to fight for the Kauravas.
- Kingdom
Kampilya
काम्पिल्य
The capital of Panchala Kingdom, ruled by Drupada. Birthplace of Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna. Identified with modern Kampil, Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh.
- Kingdom
Kanyakubja
कन्यकुब्ज
The ancient kingdom of Kanyakubja (Kannauj), renowned for its warriors and learning. Played a crucial role in the Kurukshetra war.
- Kingdom
Kashi
काशी
The great city of Kashi (Varanasi), ruled by the King of Kashi.
- Kingdom
Kashmira
कश्मीर
The kingdom of the Kashmir valley, listed among the northern realms subdued by Arjuna during his digvijaya in the Sabha Parva. Kashmira warriors are also counted in the armies at Kurukshetra.
- Kingdom
Kekeya
केकय
The kingdom of the Kaikeyas, allies of the Pandavas. The five Kaikeya brothers fought on the Pandava side.
- Kingdom
Kingdom of Kuntibhoja
कुन्तिभोज राज्य
Kingdom of Kunti's adoptive father. Here young Kunti served sage Durvasa and received the mantra that allowed her to summon gods. Traditionally placed in the Malwa region of present-day Madhya Pradesh.
- Kingdom
Kishkindha
किष्किन्धा
The cave-kingdom of the vanaras in the southern hills. During Sahadeva's southern digvijaya the vanara kings Mainda and Dvivida contested him for seven days before honoring him with tribute (Sabha Parva). It also figures in the Ramopakhyana of the Vana Parva.
- Kingdom
Kosala
कोसल
The ancient kingdom of Ayodhya, homeland of Rama in the Ramopakhyana. In the epic's present its king Brihadbala fought for the Kauravas and was slain by Abhimanyu inside the Chakravyuha (Drona Parva).
- Kingdom
Kulinda
कुलिन्द
A Himalayan hill kingdom in the Shimla-Sirmaur region conquered by Arjuna at the start of his northern digvijaya (Sabha Parva). Its king Subahu later hosted the Pandavas on their way to the high Himalayas during the exile.
- Kingdom
Kundinapura
कुंडिनपुर
The capital of Vidarbha kingdom, ruled by Bhishmaka. Rukmini was his daughter and Krishna married her here. Identified with Kaundinyapur on the Wardha river near Amravati, Maharashtra.
- Kingdom
Lanka
लङ्का
The island kingdom of the rakshasas, ruled in the epic's present by the righteous Vibhishana. During Sahadeva's southern digvijaya, Ghatotkacha was sent as envoy and Vibhishana lovingly sent tribute for the Rajasuya (Sabha Parva). Its older story is retold in the Ramopakhyana.
- Kingdom
Madra
मद्र
The kingdom ruled by Shalya, Madri's brother. Nakula and Sahadeva's maternal kingdom. Its capital Sagala is identified with modern Sialkot, Punjab.
- Kingdom
Madra Kingdom
मद्र देश
The ancient kingdom of Madra (modern-day Sialkot region of Punjab). Home of the beautiful Princess Madri.
- Kingdom
Magadha
मगध
The powerful kingdom ruled by the mighty Jarasandha. Bheema defeated Jarasandha here in a wrestling match. Centered on its capital Girivraja, modern Rajgir, Bihar.
- Kingdom
Mahishmati
माहिष्मती
The ancient Haihaya capital on the Narmada, ruled in epic times by King Nila. Sahadeva's southern digvijaya was halted here by the fire-god Agni, who protected the city, until Sahadeva propitiated him (Sabha Parva).
- Kingdom
Malla
मल्ल
An eastern kingdom beyond Kosala, subdued by Bhima on his digvijaya toward the eastern ocean (Sabha Parva). The Mallas are counted among the peoples who sent warriors to Kurukshetra.
- Kingdom
Manipura
मणिपुर
The kingdom ruled by Chitrangada, Arjuna's wife during his exile. Their son Babruvahana ruled here later. Its location is disputed: scholars place the epic's Manipura (or Manalura) on the eastern coast near Kalinga or in the far south, while tradition links it to modern Manipur.
- Kingdom
Mathura
मथुरा
The ancient city where Krishna was born. Ruled by the tyrant Kamsa before Krishna liberated it.
- Kingdom
Nishada Kingdom
निषाद
The forest kingdom of the Nishada hunter-chiefs. Its prince Ekalavya, son of King Hiranyadhanus, taught himself archery before a clay image of Drona and surrendered his right thumb as guru-dakshina (Adi Parva).
- Kingdom
Pragjyotisha
प्राग्ज्योतिष
The eastern kingdom ruled by Bhagadatta, the king of elephants. He fought on the Kaurava side with his mighty elephant Supratika.
- Kingdom
Pundra
पुण्ड्र
The eastern kingdom of Paundraka Vasudeva, the king who styled himself the 'true Vasudeva' and imitated Krishna's emblems until Krishna destroyed him. Bhima subdued Pundra during his eastern digvijaya (Sabha Parva).
- Kingdom
Saurashtra
सौराष्ट्र
The peninsular region of Gujarat containing Dwaraka, Prabhasa, and Mount Raivataka. Its tirthas are praised at length in the pilgrimage chapters of the Vana Parva, and the Yadavas made it their refuge from Jarasandha.
- Kingdom
Sauvira
सौवीर
A kingdom in the Sindh region ruled by Jayadratha. He was the husband of Duryodhana's sister Dussala.
- Kingdom
Shalva
शाल्व
The kingdom of King Shalva, the beloved of princess Amba. After Bhishma abducted the Kashi princesses, Amba returned to Shalva only to be rejected, setting in motion her vow of vengeance against Bhishma (Ambopakhyana, Udyoga Parva).
- Kingdom
Sindhu Kingdom
सिंधु
The kingdom in the Sindh region, closely associated with Jayadratha who was married to Dushala, the only sister of the Kauravas.
- Kingdom
Sivi (Usinara)
शिबि
The kingdom of the Sibi people in lower Punjab, descendants of the legendary King Shibi who offered his own flesh to save a dove - a tale told to the Pandavas in exile (Vana Parva). King Govasana of the Sibis was father of Devika, a wife of Yudhishthira.
- Kingdom
Suhma
सुह्म
A kingdom of the western Bengal delta, named alongside Vanga and Tamralipta among the eastern realms that Bhima brought under Yudhishthira's suzerainty (Sabha Parva).
- Kingdom
Surasena
शूरसेन
The Yadava homeland around Mathura on the Yamuna. King Shura of this line was the father of Vasudeva and of Pritha (Kunti), making Surasena the ancestral kingdom of both Krishna and the Pandavas' mother.
- Kingdom
Takshashila
तक्षशिला
Ancient center of learning and culture. Many princes received education here including Dhritarashtra's maternal relatives.
- Kingdom
Trigarta
त्रिगर्त
The kingdom of King Susharma in the Punjab plains between the Ravi and Sutlej rivers. The Trigartas raided Virata's cattle in the Virata Parva, and in the war Susharma's Samsaptakas swore to slay Arjuna or die fighting him.
- Kingdom
Vaishali
वैशाली
The great republic kingdom of the Licchavis, famous for its democratic governance and wealth. One of the oldest republics in human history.
- Kingdom
Vanga
वङ्ग
The deltaic kingdom of Bengal, conquered by Bhima during his eastern campaign for the Rajasuya (Sabha Parva). Vanga kings rode war elephants for the Kaurava host at Kurukshetra (Bhishma Parva).
- Kingdom
Videha (Mithila)
विदेह
The ancient kingdom of King Janaka, famous for its philosophical traditions. Its capital Mithila is identified with the Janakpur region on the Bihar-Nepal border.
- Kingdom
Virata
विराट
The kingdom where the Pandavas spent their 13th year of exile in disguise. King Virata sheltered them without knowing their true identity. Identified with modern Bairat (Viratnagar), Rajasthan.
City7
- City
Makandi
माकन्दी
City on the Ganga that, with Kampilya, anchored southern Panchala - the half of his realm Drupada retained after Drona seized the north (Adi Parva).
- City
Manalura
मणलूर
The southern city of King Chitravahana where, in several recensions, Arjuna married the princess Chitrangada during his tirtha-yatra exile (Adi Parva). Many manuscripts give this city in place of Manipura, and scholars place it in the Pandya country of the far south.
- City
Mithila
मिथिला
The capital of Videha and seat of the Janakas, the philosopher-kings of the epic, where Yajnavalkya, Sulabha, Panchashikha and Ashtavakra all held their disputations. Vyasa sent his son Suka across the whole earth on foot to its gate, where the porters turned him away with rough words and fifty women trained to read men's minds tested him through a night before Janaka came out on foot with the arghya on his head. It was of this city that Janaka said that if Mithila burned, nothing of his would burn with it.
- City
Pratishthana
प्रतिष्ठान
The ancient capital of the Lunar dynasty's early kings, set at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna opposite Prayaga. Yayati ruled here before dividing the earth among his sons.
- City
Rajapura
राजपुर
The opulent capital of Chitrangada, king of the Kalingas, where a self-choice drew hundreds of rulers for the hand of his daughter. When the maiden walked past Duryodhana as she had passed the others, he commanded her to stop, lifted her onto his car and carried her off, while Karna alone held the rear and cut down the bows, standards and drivers of the pursuing kings until they turned back empty-handed.
- City
Shuktimati
शुक्तिमती
Capital of the Chedi kingdom on the river of the same name, seat of king Uparichara Vasu and later of Shishupala. The fish-born Satyavati's story begins in its waters.
- City
Tamralipta
ताम्रलिप्त
The great seaport of the eastern coast at the mouth of the Bengal delta, subdued by Bhima during his eastern digvijaya for the Rajasuya (Sabha Parva).
Battlefield2
- Battlefield
Chamasodbheda
चमसोद्भेद
The specific spot on Kurukshetra battlefield where Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuha and fell fighting alone against seven great warriors.
- Battlefield
Kurukshetra
कुरुक्षेत्र
The sacred battlefield where the 18-day Mahabharata war was fought. Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna here.
Sacred Site26
- Sacred Site
Alamva Lake
आलम्ब
The great lake in the northern wilds to which Kasyapa sent the newborn Garuda when his hunger could not be filled. In its water the brothers Vibhavasu and Supratika, cursed into the shapes of an elephant and a tortoise over a divided inheritance, had been fighting for ages; Garuda took one in each claw and rose over the sacred place called Alamva, whose golden-boughed wish-granting trees shook with fear in the wind of his wings, until a banian offered him a branch that broke beneath his weight.
- Sacred Site
Amarakantaka
अमरकण्टक
The holy hill at the meeting of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges where the Narmada rises, praised among the tirthas of the south in the epic's pilgrimage chapters.
- Sacred Site
Badarikashrama
बदरिकाश्रम
The holy abode of Nara and Narayana (Arjuna and Krishna in previous birth). Located in the Himalayas.
- Sacred Site
Bindusaras
बिन्दुसरस्
The lake north of Kailasa in the mountains of Mainaka, below the jewelled peak Hiranyasringa, where Bhagiratha waited many years to behold Ganga, so that the river is called Bhagirathi after him. Indra completed a hundred sacrifices on its banks with stakes of gems and altars of gold, and Mahadeva and Nara and Narayana keep their abodes there. Maya Danava returned to it for the jewelled material of the Mayasabha and brought back from its waters Bhima's club, worth a hundred thousand clubs, and the conch Devadatta that came from Varuna.
- Sacred Site
Chitrakuta
चित्रकूट
The forest hill of Rama's first exile dwelling, recounted to the Pandavas in the Ramopakhyana as a mirror of their own banishment, and listed among the meritorious tirthas of the Vana Parva.
- Sacred Site
Dwaitavana Sacred Lake
द्वैतवन सरोवर
The mystical lake in Dvaitavana forest where the Yaksha appeared and tested Yudhishthira with his questions.
- Sacred Site
Gaya
गया
The great tirtha of the ancestors, where offerings of pinda free the fathers from debt. The Pandavas performed rites here on their pilgrimage, and the Vana Parva declares a son who offers at Gaya redeems his whole line.
- Sacred Site
Hermitage of Vashishtha
वशिष्ठ आश्रम
The sacred forest hermitage near Mount Meru where Sage Vashishtha (Apava) performed his austerities and kept his divine cow.
- Sacred Site
Kanva Ashrama
कण्व आश्रम
The hermitage of Sage Kanva where Shakuntala was raised and where King Dushyanta first met her. Traditionally located on the Malini river near Kotdwar, Uttarakhand.
- Sacred Site
Kashi
काशी
The ancient sacred city, also known as Varanasi. Home of princesses Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika who were abducted by Bhishma for his brother.
- Sacred Site
Kedara
केदार
The high Himalayan abode of Shiva named in the epic's tirtha catalogues. In enduring tradition, the Pandavas sought Shiva here after the war to expiate the sin of kin-slaying, and he evaded them in the form of a bull.
- Sacred Site
Mount Shatashringa
शतशृङ्ग
The Mountain of a Hundred Peaks in the Himalayas, where King Pandu lived as an ascetic with his wives after the curse of Sage Kimdama.
- Sacred Site
Munjaprishtha
मुञ्जपृष्ठ
A peak of Himavat near the golden mountains, held in high esteem by the Pitris and the celestial rishis and named for the spot where Rama of Bhrigu's line sat beneath a banian and bound up his matted locks with munja grass. It is a favourite haunt of Rudra, and there the ascetic king Vasuhoma of the Angas kept his retreat with his queen. The emperor Mandhatri climbed to it to ask where Chastisement had come from, and heard the whole birth of Danda, from Brahma's sneeze that produced Kshupa to the rod passing at last into the hands of kings.
- Sacred Site
Naimisharanya
नैमिषारण्य
The sacred forest where Ugrasravas (Suta) first narrated the Mahabharata to the sages assembled for a 12-year sacrifice.
- Sacred Site
Plaksha Prasravana
प्लक्ष प्रस्रवण
The source of the Saraswati beneath a sacred fig tree in the Shivalik foothills, the final tirtha of Balarama's pilgrimage up the river during the eighteen days of the war (Shalya Parva).
- Sacred Site
Prabhasa
प्रभास
Sacred pilgrimage site on the western coast. Here the Yadava clan destroyed themselves in a drunken brawl, and Krishna left his mortal body.
- Sacred Site
Prayaga
प्रयाग
The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, hailed in the epic as the king of tirthas. The Pandavas bathed at the sangam during their pilgrimage with the sage Lomasha (Vana Parva).
- Sacred Site
Pushkara
पुष्कर
The sacred lake and pilgrimage site where Drona performed penance to obtain the divine weapons from Lord Shiva.
- Sacred Site
Sandipani Ashrama
सांदीपनी आश्रम
The hermitage of Sage Sandipani where Krishna and Balarama received their education alongside Sudama and other students.
- Sacred Site
Shalagrama
शालग्राम
The tirtha of Vishnu on the upper Gandaki, named in the Vana Parva's pilgrimage itinerary, where the river's ammonite stones are worshipped as the very body of the god.
- Sacred Site
Surparaka
शूर्पारक
The coastal region that the Ocean threw up on its far shore for Parashurama, after Kasyapa accepted the earth from him as a sacrificial gift and forbade him to live within it. The tirtha of Rama there, with the two sacrificial platforms of Jamadagni called Pashana and Punaschandra, was a station on the great pilgrimage of the tirtha lists, and Yudhishthira came back to Surparaka from his western shrines before taking ship along the coast to Prabhasa.
- Sacred Site
Syamantapanchaka
स्यमंतपंचक
The five lakes of blood created by Parashurama after he killed all Kshatriyas 21 times. Located within the Kurukshetra region.
- Sacred Site
Utkochaka Tirtha
उत्कोचक
The tirtha where the Pandavas, on the road from Draupadi's svayamvara, accepted the sage Dhaumya as their family priest - the purohita who would serve them through every exile and triumph (Adi Parva).
- Sacred Site
Varanasi (Kashi)
वाराणसी (काशी)
The eternal city, one of the oldest living cities. Several events in the epic took place here.
- Sacred Site
Vrindavan
वृंदावन
The sacred forest where Krishna performed the divine Ras Leela with the Gopis. Considered one of the holiest sites associated with Krishna.
- Sacred Site
Vyasashrama
व्यासाश्रम
The hermitage of Veda Vyasa near Badarikashrama where he composed the Mahabharata.
River16
- River
Banks of the Ganga
गङ्गा तट
The sacred banks of the river Ganga, near Hastinapura.
- River
Banks of the Yamuna
यमुना तट
The beautiful banks of the river Yamuna.
- River
Charmanvati (Chambal)
चर्मण्वती
The river of the Chambal valley, said to have arisen from the streams of King Rantideva's boundless sacrifices, a tale of generosity recounted in the epic (Drona and Shanti Parvas). It bordered the Matsya and Chedi countries.
- River
Drishadvati
दृषद्वती
The southern of the two rivers that define the holy land of Kurukshetra: 'that which lies between the Saraswati and the Drishadvati is Kurukshetra' (Vana Parva). Sacrifices on its banks were held supremely meritorious.
- River
Gandaki
गण्डकी
The Himalayan river of the Videha country, named in the tirtha catalogues of the Vana Parva. From its upper gorges come the shalagrama stones sacred to Vishnu.
- River
Ganga
गङ्गा
The holiest river of the epic and a goddess in her own right - wife of Shantanu and mother of Bhishma, whom she raised in her waters (Adi Parva). The Kuru capital Hastinapura stood on her banks.
- River
Godavari
गोदावरी
The great river of the Dakshinapatha, praised among the holiest tirthas in the pilgrimage discourses of the Vana Parva. The southern kingdoms of Ashmaka and Vidarbha lay within its basin.
- River
Hiranvati
हिरण्वती
The stream at the edge of Kurukshetra beside which the Kaurava and Pandava hosts pitched their camps before the war, its pure waters serving both armies (Bhishma and Udyoga Parvas).
- River
Kaveri
कावेरी
The great river of the far south, included among the sacred streams the Pandavas visited on their long tirtha-yatra through the Dakshinapatha (Vana Parva) and named in the Bhishma Parva river-lists.
- River
Narmada
नर्मदा
The river dividing the northern lands from the Deccan, sacred in the epic's tirtha catalogues. Mahishmati, the city King Nila held for the Kauravas, stood upon it.
- River
Oghavati
ओघवती
The sacred stream of the Kurukshetra country on whose banks Bhishma lay upon his bed of arrows awaiting the sun's northern turn, and where he delivered his final teachings (Shanti and Anushasana Parvas).
- River
Saraswati
सरस्वती
The sacred river of the Kurukshetra country, along whose banks lay the Kamyaka and Dvaita forests of the Pandavas' exile. Balarama made his famous pilgrimage up the Saraswati during the eighteen days of the war (Shalya Parva).
- River
Sarayu
सरयू
The river of Kosala flowing past Ayodhya, counted among the holy rivers in the epic's tirtha and geography chapters, and the scene of the Ikshvaku legends retold in the Ramopakhyana.
- River
Sindhu (Indus)
सिन्धु
The mighty western river that gave its name to the Sindhu kingdom of Jayadratha. It heads the river-lists of the Bhishma Parva geography and bounded the northwestern realms of the epic world.
- River
Vaitarani
वैतरणी
The sacred river of Kalinga where the Pandavas bathed and offered oblations during their pilgrimage, at the spot where the gods themselves were said to have sacrificed (Vana Parva).
- River
Yamuna
यमुना
The dark river of the Kuru and Yadava lands. Satyavati ferried travelers across it when Shantanu found her; Vasudeva carried the infant Krishna over its flooded waters; and Indraprastha rose on its bank beside the Khandava forest.
Mountain16
- Mountain
Barbarik's Watch Mountain
बार्बरीक पर्वत
The mountain where Barbarik's head was placed so he could watch the entire Kurukshetra war.
- Mountain
Deogiri
देवगिरि
The mountain fortress where Sahadeva defeated the demon king Narakasura and obtained his celestial weapons.
- Mountain
Gandhamadana
गन्धमादन
A mountain in the Himalayas. Arjuna performed penance here to obtain divine weapons.
- Mountain
Govardhana
गोवर्धन
The low hill of Braj that the boy Krishna lifted on one finger for seven days to shelter the cowherds from Indra's deluge, humbling the king of gods - a deed recalled when Krishna's divinity is proclaimed in the epic and told fully in the Harivamsha.
- Mountain
Himavat
हिमवत्
The Himalaya personified, king of mountains and father of Ganga and Uma. The Pandavas crossed his ranges to reach Badari and Gandhamadana, and on the Mahaprasthanika journey they climbed him one last time toward heaven.
- Mountain
Mahendra Parvata
महेन्द्र पर्वत
The mountain abode of the immortal Parashurama on the eastern coast. Karna went there disguised as a brahmin to learn the Brahmastra, earning both the weapon and his guru's curse; the Pandavas later met Parashurama there on their pilgrimage (Vana Parva).
- Mountain
Malaya
मलय
The sandal-bearing hills of the Pandya country in the far south, counted among the great ranges of Bharata and named in the tirtha lists as a place where pilgrims ended their lives on the pyre. The Pandya king who carried the Malaya peak as the device on his banner thought himself the equal of Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Arjuna together, and on the seventeenth day he turned Karna's divisions round like a potter's wheel and struck the diadem off Ashvatthama's head before he was cut down.
- Mountain
Mount Arbuda
अर्बुद
The solitary western mountain, son of Himavat, named among the tirthas of the western country in the Vana Parva's pilgrimage itinerary, with the hermitage of Vasishtha upon its slopes.
- Mountain
Mount Kailasa
कैलास
The crystal mountain of Shiva and Kubera beyond the great Himalaya. The Pandavas beheld it on their trek to Badari and Gandhamadana during the exile (Vana Parva), and passed its realm again on the final journey.
- Mountain
Mount Mainaka
मैनाक
The golden-peaked son of Himavat, named in the Pandavas' Himalayan wanderings and in the epic's mountain catalogues. The pilgrims of the Vana Parva pass Mainaka on the road to Badari.
- Mountain
Mount Raivataka
रैवतक
The hill outside Dwaraka where the Yadavas held their great festival. There Arjuna saw Subhadra, and with Krishna's connivance carried her off to be his bride (Adi Parva).
- Mountain
Munjavat
मुञ्जवत्
The mountain of Mahadeva on the summits of Himavat, where Shiva dwells with Uma among his ganas in the shade of giant trees, and where neither heat nor cold nor hunger nor death reaches anyone. Rudra withdrew to its foot in anger and cheerlessness after rising from the water to find creation already peopled, and from there he went on to break the sacrifice from which the gods had left him out. Its slopes hold mines of gold guarded by Kubera's attendants, which Samvarta told King Marutta to take for his sacrifice.
- Mountain
Pariyatra Mountains
परियात्र पर्वत
The western mountain range where Arjuna found the celestial weapons guarded by Rakshasas during his exile.
- Mountain
Rishyamuka Mountain
ऋष्यमूक पर्वत
The sacred mountain where Hanuman was born and where he performed great austerities to gain his divine powers.
- Mountain
Shatashrunga
शतश्रृंग
The mountain with a hundred peaks where King Pandu lived in exile with his wives Kunti and Madri after being cursed.
- Mountain
Vindhya
विन्ध्य
The central range that once grew in jealousy of Meru until the sage Agastya, its guru, bade it bow and wait for his return from the south - a return he never made. The tale is told to the Pandavas in the Vana Parva.
Forest8
- Forest
Banks of the Malini River
मालिनी नदी
A beautiful, sacred riverbank hosting the hermitage of Sage Kanva.
- Forest
Dvaitavana
द्वैतवन
Another forest residence during the Pandavas' exile. Named after the twin trees. Placed near the lower Saraswati (Ghaggar) region, southwest of Kurukshetra.
- Forest
Forest Hermitage
वन आश्रम
A secluded hermitage deep in the forest near Hastinapur where Eklavya built a clay statue of Drona and trained himself to become a master archer through sheer devotion and discipline.
- Forest
Hidimba Forest
हिडिम्बवन
The wild forest beyond the Ganga where the fleeing Pandavas rested after Varanavata. Here Bhima slew the man-eating rakshasa Hidimba and married his sister Hidimbaa, who bore him the mighty Ghatotkacha (Adi Parva).
- Forest
Kamyaka Forest
काम्यक वन
The forest where the Pandavas spent much of their 12-year exile. Site of many sage encounters. Located on the banks of the Saraswati, west of Kurukshetra.
- Forest
Khandava Forest
खाण्डव वन
The ancient forest near Indraprastha that was burned by Arjuna and Krishna.
- Forest
Northern Kamyaka
उत्तर काम्यक
The second Kamyaka forest where Pandavas lived during later part of their exile.
- Forest
Salmali Forest
साल्मली वन
The great silk-cotton tree forest where Nakula trained in horse warfare and learned the secrets of celestial steeds.
Historical Site7
- Historical Site
Dvaipayana Lake
द्वैपायन ह्रद
The lake near Kurukshetra into which Duryodhana fled with his mace at the end of the eighteenth day, charming its waters by illusion and lying stretched in a chamber beneath them. Ashvatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma stood at its edge urging him to rise and fight, while a party of hunters who carried Bhima his daily basket of meat lay hidden on the bank and heard every word. They sold the secret to the Pandava camp, and Yudhishthira taunted the king out of the water to the mace duel that ended him.
- Historical Site
Indra's Pillar
इंद्र कील
The ancient pillar erected by Indra at Kurukshetra marking the spot where the war would begin and end.
- Historical Site
Lakshagriha (Varnavata)
लाक्षागृह
The house of lac built by Purochana to burn the Pandavas alive. The Pandavas escaped through a secret tunnel. Varanavata is identified with modern Barnawa, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh.
- Historical Site
Panchanada
पञ्चनद
The land of the five rivers of the Punjab. Here, after the fall of Dwaraka, Abhira robbers attacked Arjuna as he escorted the Yadava women - and the great archer, his divine strength departed, could not string Gandiva in time to save them (Mausala Parva).
- Historical Site
Pramanakoti
प्रमाणकोटि
The pleasure-ground on the Ganga near Hastinapura where the boy Duryodhana poisoned Bhima's food and threw his unconscious body into the river. Bhima sank to the Naga realm, where the serpent king's elixir gave him the strength of ten thousand elephants (Adi Parva).
- Historical Site
Varnavata
वारणावत
The town where the Lakshagriha (palace of lac) was built. Pandavas escaped the fire trap here. Identified with modern Barnawa, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh.
- Historical Site
Vinashana
विनशन
The place where the Saraswati vanishes into the desert sands, said to hide herself out of disdain for the lands beyond. Balarama began his riverine pilgrimage here (Shalya Parva), and it marked the western limit of the holy Kurukshetra country.
Village2
- Village
Ekachakra
एकचक्र
A small village where the Pandavas hid after escaping the lac house. Here Bhima killed the demon Bakasura who terrorized the villagers. Often identified with Birchandrapur in Birbhum district, West Bengal, though other traditions place it elsewhere.
- Village
Gokul
गोकुल
The pastoral village where Krishna was raised by foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. Site of many of Krishna's childhood miracles.
Military Camp2
- Military Camp
Pandava Camp
पाण्डव शिविर
The great encampment of the Pandava armies on the edge of Kurukshetra, laid out beside the lake Samantapanchaka for the eighteen days of war.
- Military Camp
Upaplavya
उपप्लव्य
City in Matsya kingdom where the Pandavas assembled their army before the great war. War councils and marriage alliances were formed here. Located near the Matsya capital, modern Bairat region of Rajasthan.
Divine Realm10
- Divine Realm
Alaka
अलका
The city of Kubera, lord of treasures, set among the Himalayan heights beyond Kailasa and peopled by yakshas, guhyakas and the gandharvas who serve him. Its pleasure grounds on Gandhamadana hold the saugandhika pool that Bhima raided for Draupadi, scattering Kubera's guards; kings who bathe in the epic's tirthas are promised its splendour, and Narada tells the blind Dhritarashtra in the forest that he and Gandhari will go at last to the realm of the lord of Alaka.
- Divine Realm
Amaravati
अमरावती
The celestial city of Indra. Arjuna visited here and received training from Indra.
- Divine Realm
Brahmaloka
ब्रह्मलोक
The highest of the celestial realms, abode of Brahma the creator, placed in the epic's cosmology beyond the summit of the world-mountains.
- Divine Realm
Kshira Sagara
क्षीरसागर
The cosmic Ocean of Milk, churned by the devas and asuras with Mount Mandara as the rod and Vasuki as the rope. From its depths rose the amrita, Lakshmi, Dhanvantari, and the deadly halahala poison.
- Divine Realm
Kshira Sagara
क्षीरसागर
The Ocean of Milk, churned by devas and asuras with Mandara for the rod and Vasuki for the rope until the halahala poison and then the amrita rose from it. Its northern shore is the epic's great ground of austerity: Ekata, Dvita and Trita stood there a thousand years and were never shown the god they praised, and the Narayaniya sends every seeker to that coast and to Svetadvipa beyond it. To its floor the asuras Madhu and Kaitabha carried the stolen Vedas, until the horse-headed form of Vishnu chanted them out again.
- Divine Realm
Mount Mandara
मन्दर पर्वत
The celestial mountain used as a churning rod during the great Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean) by the gods and demons to obtain the nectar of immortality. Traditionally identified with Mandar Hill in Banka district, Bihar.
- Divine Realm
Mount Meru
मेरु
The golden axis of the world around which the sun and stars revolve, described in the cosmography of the Bhishma Parva. On the final journey Yudhishthira walked toward Meru, beyond which lies the heaven of the gods (Mahaprasthanika Parva).
- Divine Realm
Nagaloka
नागलोक
The underground realm of the Nagas, serpent beings. Ulupi was a princess of this realm and married Arjuna.
- Divine Realm
Saubha
सौभ
The magical flying city owned by King Shalva. Krishna destroyed it after a long battle when Shalva attacked Dwaraka.
- Divine Realm
Uttarakuru
उत्तरकुरु
The blessed land beyond the Himalayas where the perfected dwell without sorrow. At its gates Arjuna's northern digvijaya was halted by guardians who told him no mortal may enter, and they gave tribute for the Rajasuya unseen (Sabha Parva).
Asura City2
- Asura City
Hiranyapura
हिरण्यपुर
The golden city of the Asuras, ruled by Nivatakavachas. Arjuna defeated them at Indra's request.
- Asura City
Vrishaparva's Capital
वृषपर्वपुरी
The city of the asura king Vrishaparva, where Shukracharya served as preceptor and his daughter Devayani contended with the princess Sharmishtha.