Bhishma

In the epic Mahabharata, Bhishma was well known for his pledge of Celibacy. He was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu and the goddess Ganga. Bhishma was blessed with wish-long life and was related to both the Pandava and the Kaurava. He was an unparalleled archer and warrior of his time.

Dhrishtadyumna

Dhrishtadyumna, also known as Draupada, was the son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi and Shikhandi in the epic Mahabharata. He was the commander of the Pandava army during the Kurukshetra War. Dhrishtadyumna killed Drona, the royal guru, when he was meditating which was against the rules of engagement.

Parikshit

Pariksit was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period. Along with his son and successor Janamejaya, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India.

Satyaki

Yuyudhana, better known as Satyaki, was a powerful warrior belonging to the Vrishni clan of the Yadavas, to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was grandson of Shini of the Vrishni clan, and adopted son of Satyaka, after whom he was named.

Shantanu

In the epic Mahabharata, Shantanu was a Kuru king of Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, of the Lunar dynasty and great-grandfather of the Pandavas and Kauravas. He was the youngest son of King Pratipa of Hastinapura and had been born in the latter's old age.

Aruni

Aruni, also referred to as Uddalaka or Uddalaka Aruni, is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism. He is mentioned in many Vedic era Sanskrit texts, and his philosophical teachings are among the center piece in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishad, two of the oldest Upanishadic scriptures.

Kamsa

In Hindu mythology, Kamsa, or Kansa, was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom with its capital at Mathura. He is the cousin of Devaki, the mother of the god Krishna—who slew Kamsa. Kamsa is described as human in early sources and a rakshasa in the Puranas.

Durvasa

In Hindu Puranas, Durvasa also known as Durvasas, was an ancient Rishi, the son of Atri and Anasuya. He is known for his short temper. Hence, wherever he went, he was received with great reverence from humans and devas alike.

Dushyanta

Dushyanta is a king in classical Indian literature and mythology. He was the husband of Shakuntala and the father of the Emperor Bharatha. He appears in the Mahabharata and in Kalidasa's play The Recognition of Sakuntala.

Kacha

Kacha was an ancient sage and the son of Brihaspati in Hindu mythology. The narrative of Kacha is mentioned in the Mahābhārata, the Matsya Purana and the Agni Purana.

Bhagadatta

Bhagadatta was the son of Naraka, mythological king of the Pragjyotisha Kingdom and second in line of kings of Naraka dynasty. He was succeeded by his son Vajradatta. He sided with kauravas in the Mahabharata war as the result of his defeat to Karna during digvijaya.

Amshuman

Amshuman or Aasamanjasa is a figure in Hindu mythology, the grandson of King Sagara. His father was Asamanja, the evil son of Sagara born from his second queen Sumati. Amshuman becomes the king after King Sagara's death. Amshuman's grandson Bhagiratha brings the Ganges down from the heavens.

Kakudmi

Kakudmi was the King of Kusasthali. He was the father of Revati who married Balarama. Within Hinduism, his account is given within a number of existing texts such as the Mahabharata, the Harivaṃśa, the Devi Bhagavatam and the Bhagavata Purana.

Nahusha

Nahusha was a king of the Aila dynasty and the 3,698,256th Indra. He was the son of Ayu, the eldest son of Pururavas and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhānu. Nahusha reigned from Pratishthana. He married Viraja, the daughter of the Pitrs. They had six or seven sons, according to different Puranas.

Nanda Baba

Nand, according to the Harivamsha and the Puranas, was the head of the Gopas, a tribe of cowherds referred as Holy Gwals. He is popularly known as the foster-father of Krishna. Nanda was the Chief or Mandaladhish of Gokul Mandal that was one of the most powerful branches of Yadavas. Nanda was brother of King Vasudeva.

Sandipani

Sandipani Muni was the guru of Bhagavan Sri Kṛiṣhṇa. Sandipani was a ṛṣi/muni/saint of Ujjain. Sandipani means, "Possessor of complete illuminating." The Sangita-Sara-Sangraha relates the name as a particular musical sruti.

Markandeya

Markandeya is an ancient rishi for Bhrigu Rishi. The Markandeya Purana especially, comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage called Jaimini, and a number of chapters in the Bhagavata Purana are dedicated to his conversations and prayers. He is also mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Janamejaya

Janamejaya was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period. Along with his father and predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymnsinto collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.

Shurasena

Shurasena was an ancient Yadava ruler of Mathura after whom the Surasena Kingdom or mahajanpada and the Yadava sept of Surasenas were named. Shurasena was father of Vasudeva. He is extensively mentioned in both the Mahabharata and the Puranas as the father of Vasudeva and Kunti.

Muchukunda

Muchukunda, son of King Mandhata, and brother of equally illustrious Ambarisha was born in the Ikshvaku dynasty. Ikshvaku dynasty is also known as Suryavamsha. The important kings of this dynasty are Harishchandra, Dileepa, Raghu and Rama.

Indradyumna

Indradyumna, son of Bharata and Sunanda, was a Malava king, according to the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Noted Indologist John Dowson has opined that there have been several kings of this name and the most prominent one being the Indradyumna who ruled over Avanti region and set up the icon of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

Rukmi

Rukmi the ruler of Vidarbha according to the epic Mahabharata. He was the son of king Bhishmaka and elder brother of Rukmini. The Harivamsha mentions that Rukmi was trained in the arts of warfare by the Kimpurusha Druma and acquired celestial weapons from Parashurama.

Astika

Astika was an ancient Hindu rishi, and he was a son of Jaratkaru by the serpent goddess Manasa - a sister of the great serpent king Vasuki.

Vaisampayana

Vaishampayana was the traditional narrator of the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India from Takshashila, modern-day Taxila, Pakistan, where he narrated the epic poem for the first time. He was an ancient Indian sage who was the original teacher of the Krishna Yajur-Veda.

King Puru

King Puru was a Puranic king and the youngest son of king Yayati and Sharmishtha and one of ancestors of the Pandavas and Kauravas.

Brihadratha

Brihadratha, also known as Maharatha, was the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty, the earliest ruling dynasty of Magadha. According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas, he was the eldest of the five sons of Vasu, the Kuru king of Chedi and his queen Girika. The name of Brihadratha is also found in the Rigveda.

Sudakshina

Sudakshina was a king of the Kambojas, mentioned in the Mahābhārata as fighting on the side of the Kauravas and being slain by Arjuna. On the fourteenth day of battle, Arjuna, with his charioteer Krishna, attempts to reach Jayadratha.

Brihadbala

Brihadbala is a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata. A descendant of Rama, he belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty. Born to Vishrutavanta, he was the last king of the Kosala Kingdom. In the Kurukshetra War, Brihadbala fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Abhimanyu.

Bhumanyu

Bhumanyu means Emperor. Bhumanyu / Bhoomanyu / Bhuvmanyu was the successor of first emperor of India, Bharata. Emperor Bharata, one of the greatest kings of ancient India, and founder of the eponymous dynasty, had nine sons from three wives. None of Bharata's sons were worthy enough to become the next Emperor.