Kunti Kingdom
Encyclopedia
As per the epic Mahabharata
, the Kunti Kingdom was the kingdom of Kuntibhoja, one of the prominent kings among the Bhoja
Yadavas
.
Kunti, the mother of Pandava
s and the first wife of Kuru king Pandu
, was the adopted daughter of the king Kuntibhoja. Her given name was Pritha and she was a sister of Vasudeva
, the father of Vasudeva Krishna. The Kunti kingdom was neighbour to the Avanti Kingdom
. It was probably to the north of Avanti.
Jarasandha
was a powerful Ancient Indian king who ruled Magadha
.
The eighteen tribes of the Bhojas, from fear of Jarasandha
, have all fled towards the west; so also have the Surasenas
, the Bhadrakas, the Vodhas, the Salwas
, the Patachchavas, the Susthalas, the Mukuttas, and the Kulindas, along with the Kuntis. And the king of the Salwayana tribe with their brethren and followers; and the southern Panchalas
and the eastern Kosalas
have all fled to the country of the Kuntis. So also the Matsyas
and the Sannyastapadas, overcome with fear, leaving their dominions in the north, have fled into the southern country. And so all the Panchalas, alarmed at the power of Jarasandha
, have left their own kingdom and fled in all directions.
.
Surrounding the kingdom of the Kurus, are, many countries beautiful and abounding in corn, such as Panchala, Chedi, Matsya, Surasena, Pattachchara, Dasarna, Navarashtra, Malla, Salva, Yugandhara, Saurashtra, Avanti, and the spacious Kunti-Rashtra (Kingdom).
From the extract below, it seems there were two kingdoms with the name Kunti, one Kunti proper and the other Apara Kunti, which means a Kunti Kingdom farther away.
.......the Chedis
, the Karushas, the Bhoja
s, the Sindhus, the Pulindakas, the Uttamas, the Dasharna
s, the Mekalas, the Utkalas; the Panchala
s, the Kausijas, the Nikarprishthas, Dhurandharas; the Sodha
s, the Madrabhujingas, the Kasis, and the further-Kasis; the Jatharas, the Kukuras, the Kuntis, the Avanti
s, and the Apara-Kuntis; the Gomantas, the Mandakas, the Shanda
s, the Vidarbha
s, the Rupavahikas; the Aswakas, the Pansurashtras, the Goparashtras, and the Karityas; the Adhirjayas,.....
The valiant son of Jamadagni, Bhargava Rama, proceeding against the Kashmiras, the Daradas, the Kuntis, the Kshudrakas, the Malavas, the Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Videhas, the Tamraliptakas, the Rakshovahas, the Vitahotras, the Trigartas, the Martikavatas, counting by thousand, slew them all by means of his whetted shafts.
The Kuntis possessed of great prowess in battle, endued with great energy and great might, have been slain in fight by Bhishma
, with all their kinsmen and advisers.
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, the Kunti Kingdom was the kingdom of Kuntibhoja, one of the prominent kings among the Bhoja
Bhoja
Bhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India, who ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1000 to 1050 CE. Also known as Raja Bhoja Of Dhar, he belonged to the Paramara dynasty...
Yadavas
Yadu
Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
.
Kunti, the mother of Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s and the first wife of Kuru king Pandu
Pandu
In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...
, was the adopted daughter of the king Kuntibhoja. Her given name was Pritha and she was a sister of Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
, the father of Vasudeva Krishna. The Kunti kingdom was neighbour to the Avanti Kingdom
Avanti Kingdom
The former Avanti kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled by the Yadava kings in the central and western India. Ujjayani was its capital along the river Kshipra, a tributary of river Charmanuati, which itself is a tributary of river Ganges. The Ujjayani of the past is currently known as...
. It was probably to the north of Avanti.
The 18 tribes which fled due to attacks from Jarasandha
- Mahabharata, Book 2, Chapter 14
Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
was a powerful Ancient Indian king who ruled Magadha
Magadha Kingdom
Magadha was a kingdom ruled by non-Vedic kings. Jarasandha was the greatest among them during epic times. His capital was Rajagriha or Rajgir a modern hill resort in Bihar. Jarasandha's continuous assault on the Yadava kingdom of Surasena resulted in their withdrawal from central India to western...
.
The eighteen tribes of the Bhojas, from fear of Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
, have all fled towards the west; so also have the Surasenas
Surasena Kingdom
Surasena Kingdom was ruled by Yaduvanshi kings as per the epic Mahabharata. It is said to be named after the King Shoorsen. The capital city of this kingdom, Mathura was founded by Shatrughna, the brother of Sri Rama the ruler of Kosala in Treta Yuga. He conquered this region after defeating the...
, the Bhadrakas, the Vodhas, the Salwas
Salwa Kingdom
Salwa is a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic Mahabharata. It is close to Madra Kingdom as both are mentioned together in many places. Saubha is its capital. Martikavati also is mentioned as the capital of Salwa kingdom. The famous prince Satyavan was from Salwa...
, the Patachchavas, the Susthalas, the Mukuttas, and the Kulindas, along with the Kuntis. And the king of the Salwayana tribe with their brethren and followers; and the southern Panchalas
Panchala Kingdom
This article is about the kingdom of Panchala during the epic-ages. For the historical kingdom, see Panchala.Panchala Kingdom extended from Himalayas in the north to river Charmanwati in the south during the period of Mahabharata. It had Kuru, Surasena and Matsya kingdoms to the west and the forest...
and the eastern Kosalas
Kosala Kingdom
Kosala Proper or Uttara Kosala is the kingdom of the celebrated personality of Treta Yuga, Raghava Rama. Ayodhya was its capital, presently in Faizabad district, Uttar Pradesh. Rama's sons Lava and Kusha inherited parts of this kingdom. Lava ruled from the city called Sravasti and Kusa from the...
have all fled to the country of the Kuntis. So also the Matsyas
Matsya Kingdom
Matsya or Machcha , classically called the Mese , was the name of a tribe and the state of the Vedic civilization of India. It lay to south of the kingdom of Kurus and west of the Yamuna which separated it from the kingdom of Panchalas...
and the Sannyastapadas, overcome with fear, leaving their dominions in the north, have fled into the southern country. And so all the Panchalas, alarmed at the power of Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
, have left their own kingdom and fled in all directions.
Kingdoms near Kuru Kingdom
Pandavas thought about selecting one among these kingdoms to spend their 13th year of exile in anonymity, forced upon them by DuryodhanaDuryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
.
- Mahabharata, Book 4, Chapter 1
Surrounding the kingdom of the Kurus, are, many countries beautiful and abounding in corn, such as Panchala, Chedi, Matsya, Surasena, Pattachchara, Dasarna, Navarashtra, Malla, Salva, Yugandhara, Saurashtra, Avanti, and the spacious Kunti-Rashtra (Kingdom).
List of Kingdoms in Bharata Varsha (Ancient India)
- Mahabharata, Book 6, Chapter 9
From the extract below, it seems there were two kingdoms with the name Kunti, one Kunti proper and the other Apara Kunti, which means a Kunti Kingdom farther away.
.......the Chedis
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
, the Karushas, the Bhoja
Bhoja
Bhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India, who ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1000 to 1050 CE. Also known as Raja Bhoja Of Dhar, he belonged to the Paramara dynasty...
s, the Sindhus, the Pulindakas, the Uttamas, the Dasharna
Dasharna
Dasharna was an ancient Indian janapada in eastern Malwa region between the Dhasan River and the Betwa River. The name of the janapada was derived from the , the ancient name of the Dhasan River. The janapada was also known as Akara and Rudradaman I in his Junagarh rock inscription referred to...
s, the Mekalas, the Utkalas; the Panchala
Panchala
Panchala is an ancient region of northern India, which corresponds to the geographical area around the Ganges River and Yamuna River, the upper Gangetic plain in particular. This would encompass the modern-day states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient times, it was home to a...
s, the Kausijas, the Nikarprishthas, Dhurandharas; the Sodha
Sodha
Sodhar is a sindhi tribe found in Sindh, Pakistan and Gujarat, India. They claim to be a branch of the sodhar tribe.-History and origin:The Sodhar sindhis are said to be descended from Paramara Sodhar, are supposed to have come into this...
s, the Madrabhujingas, the Kasis, and the further-Kasis; the Jatharas, the Kukuras, the Kuntis, the Avanti
Avanti (India)
Avanti was an ancient Indian janapada , roughly corresponded to the present day Malwa region. According to the Buddhist text, the Anguttara Nikaya, Avanti was one of the solasa mahajanapadas of the 6th century BCE...
s, and the Apara-Kuntis; the Gomantas, the Mandakas, the Shanda
Shanda
Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited is a Chinese operator of online games and book publisher, based in Shanghai, established in December 1999 by Chen Tianqiao and Chen Danian. In 2005 it claimed to have 460 million registered accounts and an average of 1.2 million players at any given time....
s, the Vidarbha
Vidarbha
Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...
s, the Rupavahikas; the Aswakas, the Pansurashtras, the Goparashtras, and the Karityas; the Adhirjayas,.....
Bhargava Rama's Annihilation of Khsatrias
- Mahabharata, Book 7, Chapter 68
The valiant son of Jamadagni, Bhargava Rama, proceeding against the Kashmiras, the Daradas, the Kuntis, the Kshudrakas, the Malavas, the Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Videhas, the Tamraliptakas, the Rakshovahas, the Vitahotras, the Trigartas, the Martikavatas, counting by thousand, slew them all by means of his whetted shafts.
Kurukshetra War
- Mahabharata, Book 8, Chapter 6
The Kuntis possessed of great prowess in battle, endued with great energy and great might, have been slain in fight by Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...
, with all their kinsmen and advisers.