Purochana () is a character in
Hindu mythology, an architect in the kingdom of Hastinapura, and one of
Duryodhana's trusted aides in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
epic Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
. He was also a minister under the
Kauravas
''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 w ...
.
He is better known as the individual who created the
Lakshagraha
Lakshagriha ( sa, लाक्षागृहम्, )) (The House of Lacquer) is a place mentioned in the ''Mahabharata'', one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. This place is located on the bank o ...
(palace of lac) under the orders of
Duryodhana and his evil mentor,
Shakuni. Purochana himself perished in the fire meant to kill the
Pandava
The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...
s. In his previous life, he had been born as
Prahasta
In the Hindu epic, the ''Ramayana'', Prahasta (Sanskrit: प्रहस्त, IAST: prahasta, lit. ''he who has extended hands'') was a powerful rakshasa warrior and the chief commander of Ravana's army of Lanka. He was the son of Sumali ...
, who was a powerful
rakshasa
Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...
warrior, and chief commander of
Ravana's army of
Lanka. In both his births, he has been the minister of antagonistic monarchs.
References
Characters in the Mahabharata
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