Manipur (Mahabharata)

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This article is about the kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. For the historical princely state, see Manipur (princely state). For other uses, see Manipur (disambiguation).

Manipur (Sanskrit: मणिपुर, romanized: maṇipur, lit. 'land of jewels') is a kingdom mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It was located near a sea-shore and the Mahendra Mountains. In the epic, Arjuna—one of the five Pandava brothers—visited Manipur and married Chitrangada, the princess of the kingdom. They had a son named Babruvahana who later ruled it.[1] Some versions of the Mahabharata mention it as Manalura.

Manipur shares its name with a modern-day state of India, located in the North-Eastern part of the country. Some past rulers of the state had claimed themselves to be the descendants of Arjuna.[2] While some scholars support the identification of the state with the kingdom, others oppose this idea. Based on the geographical description, they state that Manipur kingdom was modern-day Andhra Pradesh & Odisha.[3]

Description and legend[]

Arjuna asks Chitrangada's hand in marriage from her father.

In the Mahabharata, Arjuna was one of the Pandava brothers and they shared a common wife named Draupadi. To prevent jealousy among the brothers and identify the paternity of Draupadi's children, the Pandavas followed a condition in which one brother was given a year with her and others were forbidden to enter her chamber. If the condition was violated, the brother, who entered the room, had to go on a pilgrimage for a year. Once, when Yudhishthira—the eldest brother—was spending time with Draupadi, Arjuna entered the room to take his weapon.[4]

As a result, Arjuna was exiled and he spent his time roaming around the subcontinent. During this period, he married a Naga lady named Ulupi, with whom he spent a night and continued his journey. He reached the kingdom of Manipur, which was then reigned by King Chitravahana. According to the Adi Parva of the epic, Arjuna reached Manipur after crossing the kingdom of Kalinga, the Mahendra Mountains and the sea-shore.[5]

Chitravahana had only a daughter, Chitrangada, who was very beautiful and was trained as a warrior. Arjuna fell in love with her and asked her hand in marriage to her father. Chitravahana agreed but stated that the heir must inherit the throne of Manipur. After a son was born, Arjuna left the kingdom and continued his journey. His son was named Babruvahana and he became the king of Manipur after he reached maturity.[4]

The next appearance of Manipur is in the Ashvamedhika Parva of the epic. After coming victorious in the Kurukshetra War, Yudhishthira performed Ashvamedha Yajna to expand his kingdom. A horse was loose free and the royal soldiers, lead by Arjuna, followed it. When the horse reached Manipur, it was stopped was King Babruvahana. Arjuna and Babruvahana were not aware of each other's identity and a battle between them began. Chitrangada heard about it and rushed to stop it; however Babruvahana killed many warriors, including Arjuna. Ulupi, who was present there, revived Arjuna using a gem and revealed that Arjuna was killed because of the curse of celestial Vasus. Chitrangada told her husband about his son and all were happy to be reunited.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Vettam 1975.
  2. ^ Roy 1973.
  3. ^ Devi 2002.
  4. ^ a b Vettam 1975, p. 185.
  5. ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Arjuna-vanavasa Parva: Section CCXVII". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2021-06-13.

Bibliography[]

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