Kings in Kurukshetra!

    The Kurukshetra war, though it was a fight for throne between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, the allies, trusty kings and friends did participate in the war. Duryodhana took all the lower kingdoms and his allies under his army and so the Pandavas were left with less choice. The mother of all battles made sure that no one can remain neutral. But still, there were also kingdoms which played neutral side in the war.

    

Vidarbha

         The Kingdom of Vidarbha, with its King Rukmi remained neutral in the war. King Rukmi, brother-in-law of Krishna wanted to join the war. Rukmi was rejected in the Pandavas camp by Arjuna as he was not able to tolerate Rukmi’s self-boasting speech and insulting Dronacharya, Bheeshma and about the Kuru dynasty. In the Kauravas camp, Rukmi self-boasted saying that he is the mightiest warrior ever to lead the Kauravas to victory. Duryodhana too rejected Rukmi saying that he himself is a great warrior than Rukmi and he have Bhisma, Dronacharya and Karna by his side and so he doesn’t need Rukmi.

Udupi

         The Udupi King was the only one King who remained neutral on the acceptance from both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Though it was like the whole of Bharat is supposed to participate in war, The Udupi King was not ready to fight for any side. But he did participate in the Kurukshetra war - as a cook.

        When the King was called by Krishna for talks, the King said, “Krishna, I don’t find any use in participating in this war. It’s not going to bring any change in the lives of the people of my Kingdom other than making it worse. But since, as I cannot avoid the war, kindly allow us to be the cook. My people will cook and serve food for all the soldiers and everyone in the battle field. Someone has to prepare food for the ones who have gathered in greater number. Kindly allow me and my people to do the favor of providing food.”

         “Fine... Someone has to cook. Let it be you!”-Krishna too agreed to the words of King of Udupi.

Cooking camp in Kurukshetra

          Though it sounds easy to cook for millions gathered to battle, it was not easy to prepare food without going waste. But amazingly every day, the food was well quantified for everyone. The food was never cooked in surplus or inadequate. The battle held for 18 days and thousands and thousands of people died each day.  Each day it was never the same quantity of food needed to be prepared. But King Udupi carried out the catering services exquisitely that not a single day it was surplus or scarce. Everyone were admired and astounded at the catering of King Udupi.

        The Pandavas went to the King and asked-“How is it you are able to cook the exact quantity daily? By the time your people go and take count of soldiers in the battlefield and return, the death counts would have increased. None knows how many will die each day. But how is it that you are able to cook and serve for the exact number of soldiers?”

    King Udupi smiled and replied-“Every night, after having dinner, Krishna likes to have a bowl full of boiled peanuts. So, I peel the peanuts, count how many are there and place the bowl in his tent. After he has done eating, the bowl will come back to my tent. I count how many he has eaten. If he has eaten ten peanuts, it means 10,000 will die tomorrow. So the quantity of food to be prepared next day will be for 10,000 people less. Every day I count the peanuts and prepare as per the calculation. And never it has gone wrong and hence there’s no wastage of food too!”

Balram, King of Dwaraka

Balram

    Balram, Krishna’s elder brother too remained neutral in the Kurukshetra war. He said that he won’t participate in the war because the fault was on both the sides and also, he has trained both Bhīma and Duryodhana. Since both the Pandavas and the Kauravas are his relatives, he made sure that he’ll stay out of this war.

      He and Krishna also advised and insisted that other than Satyaki and Kritavarman other Yadava Athirathas and Maharathas should not participate in the war. They were also restrained from entering Kurukshetra. 

Vidhura

         Vidhura, the younger brother of King Drithirashtra and Pandu, did not participate in the war. Though he had the Vishnu Dhanush and is also considered as the best battle strategist, he vowed to not participate in the war and battle with Duryodhana and also broke the Vishnu Dhanush as a result of tricks played by Krishna.

Magadha

         After the death of Jarasandha, his grandsons split the kingdom of Magadha. So, most of the Magadhas fought for the Kauravas while only a few joined the Pandavas.

Kalingas

The Kalingas formed the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region up to river Godavari of current Indian political map. Prince of Hastinapur, Duryodhana’s wife was from Kalinga. The Kalingas sided with the Kauravas in the war. Kalinga’s mighty King Srutayudha or Srutayush was one of the generals in the Kauravas army. After his death, Kalinga forces were led by another Kalinga ruler. The entire Kalinga army was wiped out from the face of the Kurukshetra war by Bhīma. All the kings and mighty heroes of the Kalingas were killed by Bhīma while they were trying to protect Dronacharya from Bhīma.

Kauravas’ army general and King Srutayudha of Kalinga with his army and the Nishada army surrounded Bhīma when he was attacking Dronacharya. The Chedis who came to rescue Bhīma turned their backs unable to handle the fierce battling techniques of the Kalingas. Bhīma encountered the forces with his single mace by standing on his chariot whose stallions were slayed.  The battle was ferocious and brutal. Bhīma threw his iron mace at Sakradeva, son of King Srutayudha and killed him.  Bhīma assassinated many princes and sons of the rulers of Kalinga by standing on a grounded chariot. He killed Bhanumat, the prince of Kalinga by ascending the back of Bhanumat’s elephant and cutting his body with sword. Bhīma then encountered King Srutayudha and after a long battle, he killed him by shooting seven iron arrows using his bow. Bhīma also assassinated Satyadeva and Satya, the defenders of King Srutayudha. Srutayudha’s brothers Kalinga and Vrishaka too were exterminated by Bhīma.

Chedi

         Chedi Kingdom was ruled by the Paurava Kings. It covers the regions of Madhya Pradesh that lies to the south of river Yamuna and along the river Vetravati of current Indian political map. Chedi Kingdom was ruled with Suktimati as the capital. Chedi was ruled by King Sisubala, an ally to Duryodhana. Krishna was King Sisubala’s uncle’s (Prince Vasudev) son. King Sisubala was killed by Krishna during Indraprastha’s Rajasuya Yaga. After the death of Sisubala, Dhrishtaketu the elder son of King Sisubala became the King of Chedi. Karenumati, Princess of Chedi was married to Prince Nakula of the Pandavas and they had a son named Narimitra. King Dhrishtaketu of Chedi Kingdom accompanied by an Akshauhini, fought for the Pandavas. Dhrishtaketu was the army general for his Akshauhini with a Maharatha in the army of Pandavas. His talents and battling techniques and the way he commanded the forces under him was highly appreciated by Pithamaha Bhisma. He led the armies of the Chedis, the Kasis and the Karushas.

         Other prominent Chedi Kings who joined the Pandavas’ army were King Damaghosha, King Suvahu, King Uparichara Vasu and his sons and King Sahaja.

Dhrishtaketu was slayed by Dronacharya. Dronacharya also killed the sons of Dhrishtaketu and his younger brother Suketu, a prince of Chedi. Another prince of Chedi was killed by Aswathama.

Kamboja

       Also called as Kamedia, the Kamboja army fought for the Kauravas. The kingdom shared its boundaries with Gandhara. The king of Kamboja, Sudakshina was also a Maharatha in the Kauravas army. The Kamboja rulers were the descendants of Rishi Kondilya. Karna during his Digvijaya conquered Kamboja and so, Sudakshina was under Duryodhana’s territory. Sudakshina was a noble King who felt mortified to fight for Duryodhana. King Sudakshina died at the hands of Arjuna on the 14^th day of war.  In spite of knowing that the Pandavas had dharma on their side, he fought for Duryodhana.

Gandhara

         Led by King Saguni, Dhritarashtra’s wife Gandhari is from Gandhara. Gandhari is King Saguni’s younger sister. Gandhara Kingdom was the key ally in the war for the Kauravas. Gandhara is the old kingdom of Peshawar and the Persian inscriptions say that Gandhara included Afghanistan too. King Saguni spent most of his life in the courts of Hastinapur than in Gandhara. It was King Saguni’s words and tactics that led the Kauravas to fight against the Pandavas. The destiny of Hastinapur, especially the destiny of Duryodhana was more decided and guided by King Saguni. He was the mastermind behind the Kurukshetra war. Saguni had two sons named Uluka and Vrikasur. Saguni vowed to avenge Pithamaha Bhisma, by destroying his clan and Hastinapur for Bhisma insisted on Gandhari’s marriage to blind man Dhritarashtra.

Pragjyotisha

Krishna taking King Bhagadatta's Vaishnavastra 

         Pragjyotisha Kingdom, also named as Kamapura Kingdom hails from Assam in current political map of India. It was accompanied by the Mlechcha tribe. The Kingdom was ruled by King Bhagadatta, the foremost warrior in his period skilled in fighting from the elephant. He fought on the side of the Kauravas. Predominant elephant warriors of the Kauravas’ army were King Bhagadatta’s elephant warriors. He fired Vaishnavastra on Arjuna but Krishna saved Arjuna by taking the weapon on his chest which turned into a garland. 

Pandyas

         The Pandyas from the south fought alongside with the Pandavas. Pandya King Darshak’s warrior skills were appreciated while opposing the Kaurava army fearlessly. The Pandya kings packed with heroic energy, skills in weapons and talents were the foremost warriors of the Pandavas side.

Pandya King Sarangadhwaja fought against Aswathama. His main opponent was Aswathama and Bhisma rated the King’s battling talents as a great Ratha, referring highest grade in chariot warriors. King Sarangadhwaja destroyed the army of Aswathama with different battling tactics and shafts. His shafts even pierced the skin of the elephants. He slayed the enemies using his sharp pointy arrows and his diversified knowledge in weapon usage slewed most of the soldiers who were trying to stop him. He was killed by Aswathama.

OTHER TRIBES AND KINGS

         The smaller kingdoms and tribes accompanied Duryodhana and his army. The smaller Kingdoms include:

§  Anga Kingdom (Led by Karna) - Includes Anga, Vanga, Suhma, Kalinga and Pundra.

§  Andhaka (led by Kritavarma) – A branch of the Yadava alliance.

§  Andhra – Also called as Dasyus. (Associated with Pulinda, Khasa and Nishada army)

§  Abhisara – territory in the hill states of Rajapuri. (Most of them joined the Kauravas)

§  Ambastha – Also referred as Ambastai (from lower Chenab, Punjab).

§  Avanti (From Western Malwa).

§  Aśvātaka.

§  Ajāneya – Part of Gandhara Kingdom.

§  Abhīra (Hailed from Punjab and Mathura region)

§  Aratta (Part of Kritavarman’s tribe)

§  Arevaka (From Baluchistan)

§Karṇaprāvaraṇa (A Vindhya tribe, paid tribute to the Pandavas)

§  Kitava (Led by King Uluka, Son of Saguni) – Ancient Makran tribe. (Paid tribute to the Pandavas)

§  Kukura - Branch of Yadava confederacy.

§  Kasapaundras

§  Kuntala (Southern Kuntalas fought for Kauravas)

§  Kuluta

§  Kosala – A Solar Dynasty, led by King Brahadvala. (Ramayan era tribe)

§  Kaṣudraka

§  Karashakas

§  Mahishakas

§  Keralas

§  Karkotakas

§  Virakas

§  Mālava

§  Khaśa ( tribe in Nepal and southwest Kashmir)

§  Govāsana (Paid tribute to the Pandavas)

§ Chichchhila(Joint army with the army of Mekala and Traipura)

§  Chīnā (North-western tribe linked with the Kiratas.)

§  Cūcupa

§  Tuṣāra

§  Tuṇḍikera (From parts of Madhya Pradesh)

§  Trigata

§  Darvīka

§  Dasameya

§  Narayaia (nārāyaṇa) – Also called as the Gopala, the cowherd tribe, personal army of Sri Krishna. Warriors from Anarta.

§  Pañcanada

§  Pahlava

§  Pāṇibhadraka

§  Pārada (from west of river Indus)

§  Pulinda (A Vindhya tribe)

§  Prasthala (Branch of Trigarta tribe)

§  Bhoja - Descendants of Yayati's son Druhyu

§  Māhiṣmatī (Ruled by King Nila)

§  Muṇḍa

§  Mekala

§  Naimishas

§  Lalittha

§  Vaṅga (Paid tribute to the Pandavas)

§  Vanāyu – Special force under General King Saguni. (Hailed from the Wana valley, Pakistan)

§  Vasāti (Tribe from Baluchistan)

§  Vāṭadhāna (from Varana near Kurukshetra)

§  Vikarṇa

§  Vikuñja

§  Veṇika

§  Sālva

§  Sūrā

§  Sūrasena

§  Samsthana

§  Siṃghala

§  Sindhu-suvīra (Led by Jayadratha) –Kingdom from Sindh

§  Surāṣṭra

§  Haṃsamārga

     

    The Kingdoms and tribes who fought for the Pandavas are:

§  The Chedis.

§  The Yadavas.

§  The Kasayas.

§  The Matsyas.

§  The Srinjayas.

§  The Kasis.

§  The Kuntalas. (North)

§  The Panchalas.

§  The Abhisaras (few joined the Pandavas)

§  The Kekayas.

§  The Pandyas.

§  The Karushas.

§  The Pauravas.

§  The Kurushas.

§  The Kosalas.

§  The Kaikeyas.

§  The Somakas.

§  The Prabhadrakas.