Chitrāngada ( sa, चित्रांगद, ''citrāngada'') was the king of Kuru Mahajanapada with his capital

Hastinapura Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain text ...

. He belonged to the

Lunar Dynasty The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities ('' ...

of Bharata Tribe He was the elder son of Shantanu and

Satyavati Satyavati ( sa, सत्यवती, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru. She is the wife of king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes (The principal characters of the Hin ...

, who ascended the throne of

after his father's death.

Life as a warrior

Following the wishes of queen Satyavati,

Bhishma Bhishma ( Sanskrit: भीष्‍म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epi ...

had placed Chitrangada on the throne of the kingdom of the Kurus after Shantanu's departure. Chitrangada was a great warrior and defeated many powerful enemies and

Asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

s. Finally, the king of the

Gandharva A gandharva () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Dharmic religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they are ...

s, who was his namesake, came to challenge him. A fierce battle took place between the two warriors on the bank of the river Hiranyavati, lasting three years. In the end the king of the Gandharvas defeated the Kuru king and killed him. After having performed the rites of the dead,

immediately consecrated Chitrangada's younger brother Vichitravirya to the kingdom.van Buitenen (1973), p. 227; Mbhr. 1.95.5-14 (Pune Critical Edition)

References

Bibliography

* ''Citrangada'' in: M.M.S. Shastri Chitrao, ''Bharatavarshiya Prachin Charitrakosha'' (Dictionary of Ancient Indian Biography, in Hindi), Pune 1964, p. 213 * J.A.B. van Buitenen, ''Mahabharata'', vol. 1, The University of Chicago Press, 1973

External links

Persons and Stories from Mahabharata
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitrangada Characters in the Mahabharata