Women Characters of Mahabharata
Mahabharata, the grand epic of Indian mythology consists of great women characters that displayed valour, strength, willpower, persistence and determination. As a tale of generations, it portrayed various characters of different age, class, notion and purpose. The women characters in Mahabharata can be considered as less mentioned or detailed in comparison to male characters. As a story focuses more on power, politics and war, the major highlight was given to male characters in Kuru dynasty. The exception to this was the characters like Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari, Sathyavati, Amba (Shikhandi), Ambika and Ambalika.
These characters received much more attention than other women in Mahabharata. The women characters who got a consistent importance in the epic are Draupadi, Kunti and Gandhari. When Draupadi who married the main five characters showed her presence throughout the story, Kunti was depicted with a past story who seems to be the turning point of all action by attaining the boon from sage Durvasa. Gandhari who rise to action by giving birth to Kauravas is also have a role in the change of cause as her marriage to Dhritharastra is a major reason behind Shakuni's hatred towards Kuru kingdom.
Sathyavathi (the grandmother of Pandavas and Kauravas ), Shikandi (the vengeful Amba who became the reason for Bhishma), Ambika and Ambalika (mother of Dhritharashtra and Pandu respectively) play important roles in the epic. But the other women characters somehow lost their glow when Vyasa gave prominence to male characters, their back stories and description. Many women characters who stayed as the backbone to the male characters were diminished in the course of time and ignored from translations and retellings of the epic.
The great mothers who gave birth to warriors, the wives whose sacrifice made the foundation for their husband's praise, the daughters who even forget to mention more than once are still hidden somewhere in the great book. Mahabharata is not only a tale of men with valour but also of women with attitude. They pose immense excellence, grace with quality and determination with sacrifice. Here, in this article we are mentioning 30 women characters of Mahabharata who were forgot or given less importance. As each version of the tale have different style of narration, the names and description may vary in some stances. Still, let's go through the basic information about these great women.
1) Devika
Wife of Yudhishthira. She was the daughter of Govasana (Sibi), the king of Sivi nation from Saivya tribe. She married Yudhishthira through swayamvara and had a son named Yaudheya. She was mentioned by Vyasa in Adi Parva of Mahabharata.
2) Nari
Wife of Yudhishthira. She was the daughter of Meru savarani. She was barely mentioned in Mahabharata.
3) Hidimba (Hidimbi)
Wife of Bhima. Her real name is Salkatankati. She was the sister of Raksha king Hidimbasura. Bhima married her after killing her brother on a Chaitra Shukla Dwitiya while the pandavas while on exile with their mother. They had a son named Ghatotkacha. Bhima left them in the forest when he returned to the palace with his brothers and mother. Hidimba never remarried. Bhima returned only in the time of Kurushetra war for asking the assistance of Ghatotkacha who grew up to the master in war and magic. Ghatotkacha was killed by Karna when Yudhishthira replaced him to protect Arjuna from vital weapon gifted to Karna by Indra.
4) Jalandhara (Valandhara)
Wife of Bhima. She was the daughter of Abhibhu, the king of Kashi. She had a son named Sarvaga (Suvarnavarma). She had a brother Prakant and a sister Bhanumati (wife of Duryodhana).
5) Ulupi
Wife of Arjuna. She was a Naga princess, the daughter of Naga king Koravya. She had a son named Iravan.
6) Chitrangana
Wife of Arjuna. She was the daughter of Chitravagana,the king of Manipur. She had a son named Babhuruvahana.
7) Subhadra
Wife of Arjuna. She was the sister of Krishna and Balarama. She was eighteen when she got married with Arjuna who was thirty six years old then. Abhimanyu was their son and he was killed in the Kurushetra war by being trapped in a Chakravyuha created by Kaurava force.
8) Karenumati
Wife of Nakula. She was the daughter of Sisupala, the king of Ched and the sister of Dhristaketu. She had a son named Niramitra.
9) Vijaya (Dyutimati)
Wife of Sahadeva. She was the daughter of Dyutmat (Salya), the king of Madra. Salya was the brother of Madri and the maternal uncle of Sahadeva and Nakula. She had three brothers named Rukamrutha, Vajra and Ajaya. Her son's name was Suhotra.
10) Bhanumati
Wife of Duryodhana. They had twins - Lakmana kumara (son) and Lakshmanaa (daughter). Lakshmanaa was married to Samba, the son of Krishna. Bhanumati was mentioned as the daughter of king of Kashi in some sources, a daughter of Kalinga king Chitrangada in some and as the daughter of Bhagadatta, the king of Pragjyotishya in another sources. The proper explanation is still not clear as the details of Bhanumati is not explained well in Mahabharata.
11) Vrushali (Padmavati)
Wife of karna. She was the sister of Duryodhana's Charioteer Sathyasena. When Karna died, she jumped to his pyre and finished her life along with her husband.
12) Supriya
Wife of Karna. She was a friend of Bhanumati, wife of Duryodhana. Her son named Vrishaketu was the only son of Karna who survived Kurushetra war. Later he was patronaged by Arjuna.
13) Madri
Wife of Pandu. She was the princess of Madra kingdom and sister of Shalya. She was the mother Nakula and Sahadeva. She committed Sati when Pandu died.
14) Revathi
Wife of Balarama. She was the daughter of Kakudmi, the king of Kusasthali. They had two sons and a daughter named Nisatha, Ulmuka and Sasirekha respectively. Sasirekha was married to Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.
15) Dussala
Daughter of Dhritharastra. She was the only sister of Duryodhana and other kauravas. She was married to Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. They had a son named Suratha.
16) Arshi
Wife of Shakuni. They had two sons, Uluka and Vrikaasur.
17) Parishrami
Mother of Vidura (halfbrother of Dhritharastra and Pandu). She was a maid of Ambika and Ambalika. When Vyasa came to bless Ambika and Ambalika with children, they were horrified by the appearance of the sage. Ambika closed her eyes at first sight, so she got the blind child Dhritharastra. Ambalika's face went pale and she got child with pale face, Pandu. But the maid Parishrami who served him well was blessed by Vyasa with a child of wisdom that is Vidura.
18) Sugada (Sauvali/Saubali/Visakha)
Gandhari's maid. She had a son named Yuyutsu from Dhritharastra. He was the only Kaurava who survived the Kurushetra war. He was a messenger of Pandavas and sided them from the beginning of the war. (Kauravas - total 102 - 100 sons of Gandhari, Yuyutsu and Dussala).
19) Sulabha
Wife of Vidura, the halfbrother of Dhritharastra and Pandu. She was the daughter of King Devaka, born in a Shudra woman.
20) Suthanu
Daughter of Yudhishthira and Draupadi. She was married to Krishna and Sathyabhama's son Bhanu. She was the only living heir of Draupadi that survived the war. Suthanu had a son named Vajra.
21) Lakshmanaa
Daughter of Duryodhana and Bhanumati. She had a twin brother named Lakshmana kumara. She was married to Krishna and Jambavathi's son Samba. Samba abducted Lakshmanaa in between of her swayamvara. Later they were caught and Balarama persuaded everyone and attained the consent for their marriage.
22) Charumati
Daughter of Krishna and Rukmini. She was married to Bali, son of Kritavarma ( a Yadava warrior and relative of Krishna).
23) Kripi
Wife of Dronacharya and mother of Aswadhamav. She was the daughter of Saradhan and Janapadi (an apsara). She was also the sister of Kripacharya.
24) Uttara
Wife of Abhimanyu. She was the daughter of Virata, the king of Virata. She had two brothers named Uttar and Sweta. She was the mother of Parikshit who later became the king of Kuru kingdom.
25) Ahilawathi
Wife of Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima and Hidumbhi. She was the daughter of the snake king, Bashak (the snake around the neck of Shiva.) She had a son named Barbarika.
26) Madramati
Wife of Parikshit. Daughter - in - law of Abhimanyu and Uttara. They had four sons named Janamejaya, Bhimasena, Srutasena and Ugrasena.
27) Manimala
Wife of Janamejaya, son of Parikshit. She was the daughter of Thakshak, the snake king.
28) Bhadra
Wife of Yuyutsu, son of Dhritharastra from a maid, Sugada.
29) Yogmaya
A goddess who helps Vishnu in creating and expanding his maya. She warned Kamsa about his death and born as Yasoda's daughter who was replaced by Vasudeva instead of Krishna. When Kamsa tried to kill tge child, she flied into the sky and transformed inti a goddess with eight hands (Ashtabhuja Swaroop). Later she was born as Subhadra (sister of Krishna and Balarama).
30) Dewi Anggraini
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