Kurukshetra War
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The Kurukshetra War, also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata, arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura. The war is used as the context for the dialogues of the Bhagavad Gita, which was interpolated into the Ramayana.
c. 1700 watercolour from Mewar depicts the Pandava and Kaurava armies arrayed against each other.
Modern bronze sculpture of Chariot with Krishna and Arjuna during the Kurukshetra War.
Krishna Pleads with Dhritarashtra to Avoid War
Krishna, and Arjuna on the chariot, 18th-19th century painting
Kaurava
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Kaurava is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic Mahabharata. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his wife Gandhari. Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna and Chitrasena are the most popular among the brothers. They also had a sister named Dussala and a half-brother named Yuyutsu.
Kaurava army (left) faces the Pandavas. A 17th-18th century painting from Mewar, Rajasthan.