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Kurukshetra (literally "Region of the Kurus"), also known as Dharmakshetra (the "Region of Dharma"), [10] was the battleground on which the Kurukshetra War was fought. [11] The first Mahābhārata says that this site was chosen because a sin committed on land was forgiven because of the land's sanctity.
The Epic-Puranic chronology is a timeline of Hindu mythology based on the Itihasa (the Sanskrit Epics, that is, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana) and the Puranas. These texts have an authoritaive status in Indian tradition, and narrate cosmogeny, royal chronologies, myths and legendary events.
Kuru was an ancient Indian kingdom. [2] The kingdom was emerged as a branch of Rigvedic Puru tribe and lasted until Nandas of Magadha dethroned them in 350s BCE. [3] Kuru kingdom is famous for Mahabharata [4] and Kurukshetra War. [5]
The Itihasa-Purana forms the basis for the Epic-Puranic chronology, the traditional timeline of legendary history. The Mahabharata includes the story of the Kurukshetra War and preserves the traditions of the Lunar dynasty in the form of embedded tales.
Witzel notes this battle to be the probable archetype/prototype of the Kurukshetra War, narrated in the Mahabharata. [14] John Brockington takes a similar approach. [15] S. S. N. Murthy goes to the extent of proposing the battle as the very "nucleus" of the Kurukshetra War; Walter Ruben adopts a similar stance.
The Kurukshetra War of the Mahabharata is believed to have taken place here. Thaneswar, whose urban area is merged with Kurukshetra, is a pilgrimage site with many locations attributed to Mahabharata. [4] In the Vedas, Kurukshetra is described not as a city but as a region ("kshetra" means "region" in Sanskrit).
The climax of the Kurukshetra War, featuring the mace duel between Duryodhana and Bhima, is narrated in the Shalya Parva. Illustration by Evelyn Paul. The Shalya Parva (Sanskrit: शल्य पर्व), or the Book of Shalya, is the ninth of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Shalya Parva traditionally has 4 parts and 65 chapters.
The Parva recites how war begins to tire and frustrate everyone. This book describes how brutal war leads to horrifying behavior over the 16th and 17th day of the 18-day Kurukshetra War. [2] Karna Parva includes a treatise by Aswatthama which focuses on the motive of the deeds of human life. The crowning incident of this Parva is the final ...