Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, Yudhiṣṭhira, meaning 'one who is steady in battle'), also known as Dharmaputra ('Son of Dharma') and Dharmaraja ('King of Dharma'), is one of the central figures of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the eldest of the five Pandavas and is depicted as the King of Indraprastha and, later, of the Kuru kingdom. According to the epic, he was born to Kunti, the first wife of King Pandu, and was fathered by the personification of Dharma, owing to a curse that prevented Pandu from having children.
Yudhishthira is portrayed as a steadfast adherent of dharma (righteousness and virtue) and was initially chosen as the crown prince of the Kuru kingdom. After the Lakshagriha episode, in which he was presumed dead, his cousin Duryodhana was named heir. A subsequent succession dispute led to the kingdom being divided, with Yudhishthira receiving a barren tract that he and his brothers transformed into the city of Indraprastha. The Pandavas shared a polyandrous marriage with Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, who became the empress of Indraprastha.
After Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya Yagna, he was invited by Duryodhana and his uncle Shakuni to a game of dice. Shakuni, playing on Duryodhana's behalf, manipulated the game so that Yudhishthira lost his kingdom, wealth, the freedom of his brothers, Draupadi and himself. As a consequence, the Pandavas and Draupadi were exiled for thirteen years, with the final year to be spent incognito. During the period of exile, Yudhishthira was tested by his divine father, Yama. In the year of Agyaata Vaasa, he assumed the disguise of a Brahmin named Kanka and served at the court of the King of Matsya.
In the Kurukshetra War, Yudhishthira led the Pandava side to victory, defeating warriors including Shalya. He