Illustration
This infographic illustrates the legendary lineage of the Kuru Dynasty of Hastinapur, as described in the Mahabharata, one of the world’s oldest and longest epic poems. Through kings, princes, and sages, the family tree captures the dynastic tensions that culminate in the epic’s climactic war—the battle of Kurukshetra.
According to tradition, the Mahabharata was composed in Sanskrit by the sage Vyasa (himself a character in the story) and first written down around 2,000 years ago, following centuries of oral transmission. At nearly 7 times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey together and 15 times the length of the Bible, it weaves together tales of greed, revenge, honor, and fate, centered on two branches of the Kuru family—the Pandavas and Kauravas—whose rivalry escalates from palace intrigue to a devastating civil war that annihilates much of the dynasty.
Many thanks to Atita-guna (@atita_guna ) for letting me use her beautiful and wonderfully intricate peg dolls for this illustration.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2021, August 26). Mahabharata - Family Tree of the Kuru Dynasty. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14420/mahabharata---family-tree-of-the-kuru-dynasty/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Mahabharata - Family Tree of the Kuru Dynasty." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 26, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14420/mahabharata---family-tree-of-the-kuru-dynasty/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Mahabharata - Family Tree of the Kuru Dynasty." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Aug 2021, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14420/mahabharata---family-tree-of-the-kuru-dynasty/. Web. 09 Jul 2025.
