| Kurukshetra War |
Article Index for Kurukshetra |
Website Links For Kurukshetra |
Information AboutKurukshetra War |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT KURUKSHETRA WAR | |
| kurukshetra war | |
| mahabharata epic | |
| kurukshetrakurukshetra war | |
| mahabharata epic | |
| kurukshetra | |
| mahabharata epic | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
INTRODUCTION and his charioteer Krishna between the two warring armies.]] The Mahabharata is one of the important Hindu Epics . It is mainly an account of the life and deeds of several generations of a ruling dynasty named the " Kuru " clan. Central to the epic is an account of a great war that took place between first cousins belonging to this family. Kurukshetra, literally ''Land of the Kurus'', was the battleground on which this war, known as the Kurukshetra war, was fought. Kurukshetra was also known as '''Dharamkshetra''' meaning a land of Dharma because of the pious ruler of this region. Legend has it that this site was chosen for the war because even a sin committed on this land was forgiven on account of good deeds of the king ruling this land. The two sides to the war were the Pandava s and the Kaurava s. Earlier during the Mahabharata, the Kauravas cheated the Pandavas at a dice game, forcing their Pandava cousins to go into exile for thirteen years, being twelve years of forest exile, and one year of anonymous exile. If the Pandavas were caught during the year of anonymity, they would have to go to twelve years of exile again. Even after the exile, the eldest of the Kaurava brothers, Duryodhana , refused to return the kingdom to the Pandavas. In order to regain the kingdom, the Pandavas fought the war. The Pandava Army Supreme Commander: Prince Dhrishtadhyumna (murdered following the war)
The Kaurava Army Supreme Commanders: Bhishma (incapacitated), Dronacharya (killed/samadhi), Karna (killed), Shalya (killed), Ashwamatha
Weapons During the Kurukshetra war, several weapons were used. The weapons, and their most notable users, included:
Divisions and Formations Each army consisted of several divisions; the Kauravas had eleven while the Pandavas controlled seven. A division (''akshauhini'') includes 21,870 Chariots and Chariot -riders, 21,870 Elephants and riders, 65,610 Horses And Riders , and 109,350 foot-soldiers (in a ratio of 1:1:3:5). The combined number of warriors and soldiers in both armies was approximately four million. This war was perhaps the bloodiest war in history as most of warriors and soldiers perished during the brief period of only eighteen days. Arjuna, in a fit of extreme anger over the death of his son Abhimanyu, alone killed one akshauhini of Kaurava soldiers in a single day. The war left an extremely large number of widows and orphans, led to an economic depression and beginning of Kali Yuga . At various times during battle, the Supreme Commander could order special formations ("vyuhas"). Each formation had a specific purpose; some were defensive while others were offensive. Furthermore, each formation had specific strengths and weaknesses. The formations were named encountered are as follows:
It is not clear what the formations actually indicate. They may be formations bearing resemblance to animals, or, as C Rajagopalachari puts it, it may be a name given to strategies and formations much like our modern "operation so-and-so". The Rules of Engagement The two Supreme Commanders met and framed "rules of ethical conduct", Dharmayuddha , for the war. The rules included:
Most of these laws were broken at least once by both sides. DATING THE KURUKSHETRA WAR It is difficult to pinpoint an exact date for this war, as astronomical data is the only data available. Some dates and their propounders are listed:
Based on the Mahabharata 's date of Krishna's birth, which was 3102 BCE according to planets, choices can be narrowed. EXTERNAL LINKS |