Question
Names of the kings and their kingdoms who participated in Mahabharata war
Answer
In the Mahabharata war, the number of tribes are so numerous that it is difficult to count each and every one of them. Further there are many kingdoms that took part on both sides of the war, adding to the complexity. In the Mahabharata Udyoga Parva (5.19), it is stated that:
there was no space in the city of Hastinapura even for the principal leaders of Duryodhana's army. And for this reason the land of the five rivers, and the whole of the region called Kurujangala, and the forest of Rohitaka which was uniformly wild, and Ahichatra and Kalakuta, and the banks of the Ganga, and Varana, and Vatadhana, and the hill tracts on the border of the Yamuna--the whole of this extensive tract--full of abundant corn and wealth, was entirely overspread with the army of the Kauravas.
Most of the tribes do not mention the kings, and thus these have been included as a continuous list of only kingdoms on either side. Accordingly a list encompassing most (not all) of the kingdoms and tribes can be as under in the format depicitng the kingdom, followed by the king or chief and the reference for either:
Pāṇḍava's side (comprising 7 akṣauhiṇīs)
Main Kingdoms and their kings
Cedi - Dhṛṣṭaketu, son of Śiśupāla (5.19, 5.172, 7.23, 8.20)
Kāśī - Kāśīrāja (4.72)
Kekaya - there were 5 brothers namely Kāśika, Sukumāra, Nīla, Suryadatta and Śaṅkha, who had been deposed of their throne. The other Kekayas were on the Kaurava side (5.172)
Matsya - Virāṭa (5.19)
Śibi - Śaibya (4.72)
Lord Kṛṣṇa, the head of all Yadava kingdoms/tribes (12.80), himself stayed on the Pāṇḍava's side without fighting in the war and merely acted as Arjuna’s charioteer. He had however lent his army to the Kauravas (5.07)
Sātyaki, another of the Vṛṣṇi Yadava race however did not go to the Kaurava’s side with the rest of the Nārāyaṇa army, but instead acted as a commander of 1 akṣauhiṇī of the Pāṇḍava's troops from various kingdoms (5.19)
Other kingdoms/tribes/sub-tribes:
Anūpaka (6.50)
Aśmaka (7.85)
Coḷa (8.12)
Daśārṇa (6.50, 7.24)
Dāśeraka (6.50)
Draviḍa (8.12)
Hūṇa (6.50)
Karūṣa (5.022, 6.56)
Keraḷa (8.12)
Kulinda (8.85)
Kuṇḍīviṣa (6.50)
Laḍaka (6.50)
Maṇḍaka (6.50)
Niṣāda (6.50)
Paṭaccara (6.50)
Pauravaka (6.50)
Piśāca (6.50)
Prayāga (6.50)
Śavara (6.50)
Taṅgaṇa (6.50)
Uddra (6.50)
Vatsa (6.50)
The Somakas, Srinjayas, Prabhadrakas etc. were part of the Pancala tribe and hence not included separately here.
Kaurava's side (comprising 11 akṣauhiṇīs)
Main Kingdoms and their kings
- Aṅga - Karṇa (6.17, 8.22)
- Avanti - Vinda and Anuvinda (5.167)
- Bahlīka - Somadatta and his son Bhūriśravas (5.19, 5.166)
- Gāndhāra - Śakuni (5.51, 5.167, 7.7)
- Kaliṅga - Śrutāydha (6.16)
- Kāmboja - Sudakṣiṅa (5.19)
- Kosala - Bṛhadbala (5.167)
- Kuru - under the Kauravas
- Madra - Śalya (5.8, 5.19, 5.166)
- Magadha - Jayatsena, son of Jarasandha (6.16, 6.47, 8.5, 8.73)
- Māhiṣmatī - Nīla (5.19)
- Prāgjyotiṣa - Bhagadatta (5.19, 5.168)
- Sindhu and Sauvīra - Jayadratha (5.19)
- Trigarta - five brothers headed by Satyaratha (5.167)
- The Nārāyaṇa army of Kṛṣṇa numbering 1 akṣauhiṇī was given to the Kaurava side. They comprised various Yadava tribes like Bhoja, Andhaka, Kukkura, who fought under the command of - Kṛtavarman of the Bhoja tribe (5.07, 5.19, 5.166, 8.11) (As mentioned above, their King, Lord Kṛṣṇa was on the opposite side, as Arjuna’s charioteer)
Other kingdoms/tribes/sub-tribes:
Abhīra (7.20)
Abhīṣaha (6.18)
Ambaṣṭha - Śrutāyus (6.18, 8.5)
Āndhra (5.161, 8.73)
Aswalaka (6.51)
Barbara (7.118)
Cīna - Bhagadatta (5.19)
Darada (6.51, 8.73)
Dārvābhisāra (8.73)
Daśārṇa (6.51, 8.22)
Dāśerakas (6.56, 7.20)
Draviḍa (5.161, 8.5)
Kamaṭha (8.73)
Karṇaprāvaraṇa (6.51)
Karūṣa (6.56)
Kekaya (6.75, 8.5)
Khaśa (5.161)
Kirāta - Bhagadatta (5.19, 8.73)
Kitava (6.18, 7.7)
Kṣudraka (6.51, 8.5)
Kulūta (8.12)
Kuṇḍīviṣa (6.56)
Kuntala (6.51)
Lalita (7.17, 8.5)
Malada (7.7)
Mālava (6.51, 7.7, 8.5)
Maṇibhadraka (6.51)
Matsya (5.161, 6.18)
Mekalas (6.88, 8.22)
Niṣadha - Bṛhatkṣatra (7.20, 7.30)
Pahlava (6.20)
Pārada (6.88)
Pulinda (5.161, 8.73)
Puṇḍra (7.20, 8.22)
Ramaṭha (8.73)
Recaka (6.51)
Śaka - Sudakṣiṅa (5.19, 5.161)
Śālva (5.161, 6.18)
Samsthana (6.51)
Savitriputra (8.5)
Śibi (aka Uśīnara) (6.18, 8.5)
Siṃhala (7.20)
Śūdra (7.7)
Śūrasena (6.18, 6.56)
Tāmraliptaka (8.22)
Taṅgaṇa (8.20, 8.73)
Tuṇḍikera (8.5)
Tuṣāra (6.75, 8.73)
Utkala (8.22)
Vamana (6.51)
Vaṅga (8.22)
Vasati (6.18, 7.20)
Vāṭadhāna (6.56, 8.73)
Veṇika (6.51)
Vikarna (6.51)
Vikuñja (6.56)
Vṛka (6.51)
Yaudheya (8.5)
Yavana - Sudakṣiṅa (5.19, 6.20)
Neutral:
1. Rukmī of Vidarbha remained neutral as he was rejected by both sides (5.159)
2. Lord Balarāma too personally stayed out of the war (5.07)
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