The Hindu StoryMahabharata characters
Who’s who in the Mahabharata
The Mahabharata has a huge cast, but you only need to meet them one at a time. Here are the people at the heart of the story, with where they come from and why they matter.
New to the story? Start with the Mahabharata for beginners.
The elders of Hastinapura
The parents and grandparents whose choices set everything in motion.
BhishmaThe prince who gave up a throne and a family of his own, and guarded both sides of the family for a lifetime.- GangaThe river goddess who married a king on one condition, and the mother of Bhishma.
SatyavatiA fisherman’s daughter who became queen of Hastinapura and the grandmother of both sides of the war.
VyasaThe sage who tells the Mahabharata, and who is also part of its family.- DhritarashtraThe blind king who loved his sons too much to stop them.
GandhariThe queen who covered her eyes for life, and the mother of a hundred sons.- PanduThe king who conquered the land, gave up his crown, and became father to the Pandavas.
KuntiThe mother of the Pandavas, who kept one secret all her life.- MadriPandu’s second queen and the mother of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.
- ViduraThe wisest man at court, and the one nobody listened to.
The Pandavas and Draupadi
Five brothers and the queen they share.
- YudhishthiraThe eldest Pandava, famous for never telling a lie, and for one game of dice.
- BhimaThe strongest of the Pandavas, with a huge appetite and a bigger heart.
ArjunaThe greatest archer of his age, and the one Krishna speaks to in the Bhagavad Gita.- Nakula and SahadevaThe youngest Pandavas: twins, one famous for his beauty and the other for his wisdom.
DraupadiThe queen born from fire, wife of the five Pandavas, whose humiliation set off the war.
The Kauravas and their allies
Their rivals, cousins and closest friends.
- DuryodhanaThe eldest Kaurava, who wanted the throne so badly he went to war for it.
- DushasanaThe second Kaurava, who dragged Draupadi into the dice hall.
- ShakuniGandhari’s brother, the master of dice who planned the Pandavas’ ruin.
- KarnaThe sun god’s son, raised by a charioteer, who fought against the brothers he never knew he had.
Teachers and warriors
The masters who trained both sides, and those they turned away.
- DronaThe great teacher of the princes, who fought against his own favourite student.
- AshwatthamaDrona’s only son, whose grief and anger led to the darkest night of the epic.
- EkalavyaThe forest prince who taught himself archery and gave his teacher his thumb.
- ShikhandiThe warrior born to bring down Bhishma, who in a former life was the princess Amba.
Krishna and the next generation
The friend and guide of the Pandavas, and their brave sons.
