Lesser known characters of Mahabharata

New Delhi: The Mahabharat is one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, which is a mega saga which comprises the essence of Dharma , politics, war, religion, parenting and ethics. This grand epic much devotional and philosophical materials such as purusharthas or discussion of the four "goals of life".Among the principal works and stories that are a part of the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. There are some characters in this epic who are less known but their contributions cannot be undermined. Here is a list of lesser known characters of Mahabharata: 1. AhilawatiKnown as Nag Kanya, Ahilawati was a female character in the famous epic Mahābhārata. She was married to Bhima's son Ghatotkacha. She was referred to as Maurvi, prior to her marriage and was won by Ghatotkacha after passing a difficult exam. She was the mother of Barbarika and gave him the lessons to support the losers.2. Jarasandha He was the king of Magadha and was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. In Mahabharata he is generally held in negative light, owing to his enmity with Lord Krishna. He was killed by Lord Krishna in combat. 3. Barbarika Barbarika was the son of Ghatotkach and Ahilawati. He was originally a yaksha, and was reborn as a man.He was a grandson of Bhima, second of the Pandava brothers He was guided by his principle of always fighting on the losing side. He was made to stand witness to the epic battle without taking part. He came to be known as Teen Baan dhaari ("Bearer of Three Arrows"). He was truly a brave warrior. His dialogue with Lord Krishna was an important aspect in the epic Mahabharata.4. Yuyutsu Yuyutsu was the son of Dhritrashtra with a Vaishya woman named Sauvali. He was younger than Duryodhana and elder than the rest of the ninety-nine Kuru brothers and Dushyala. After the the Kurukshetra war, he was the only son of Dhritarashtra who survived and took charge as the King of Indraprastha. 5. Vikarna Vikarna was the younger sibling to Duryodhana, one of the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari. He is known for practising dharma and is often considered as right person on the wrong side. During the game of dice, Vikarna was the only one raised his voice against Draupadi's "cheer haran" (disrobing) saying that it is illegal for Yudhishtira to stake Draupadi having lost his freedom and having no such rights. 6.Shalya King Shalya was the ruler of the kingdom of Madra and brother of Madri (mother of Nakula and Sahadeva). He was a skilled archer,formidable warrior and a powerful mace fighter. He was tricked by Duryodhana to fight the war on the side of the Kauravas. While Lord Krishna was Arjuna's charioteer, Shalya was Duryodhana's charioteer. Through the 18-day battle, Shalya, who was the maternal uncle of Pandavas demoralised Duryodhana by constantly telling him that he was on the side of evil and would lose. Shalya had a strange ability which made him invincible in battle. He would become even more powerful when more aggression was used by his enemies fighting against himHe was killed by Yudhishthira, because the eldest Pandava was not a man of aggression7. Shikhandi One of the characters in the Mahabharata, Shikhandi was originally born as a girl child named 'Shikhandini' to Drupada, the king of Panchala He bravely fought in the Kurukshetra war on the side of the Pandavas, along with his father Drupada and brother Dhristadyumna. His son's name was Kshatradeva. Shikhandi was used as a shield by Arjuna in his battle with Bhishma Pitamaha. Bhishma threw down his bow saying he would not fight an eunuch. Arjun took aim at his grandfather Bhishma and killed him. Bhishma was put on a bed of arrows, and he passed away days after the Mahabharata war was over on Makar Sankranti, as he had the boon of "icchha mrityu" (death of his own will). 8. Vajra (King Aniruddha's Son) Vajra was the great grandson of Krishna, the grandson of Pradyumna and Son of Aniruddha. He was one of the last surviving Yadu, who succeeded King Aniruddha to the throne, according to the Mahabharata and the Puranas. 9. Ekalavya Eklavya was a young prince of the Nishada, a confederation of jungle tribes in ancient India. He was the son of Vyatraj Harinyadhanu, a talented soldier in the army of King of Magadha.He aspired to study archery in the gurukul of Guru Dronacharya, who was regarded the best tutor in the use of weapons and war strategy at that time. . Eklavya sincerely sought the mentorship of Drona for learning archery, but Drona discouraged him from this aim and ultimately rejected Eklavya on account of his caste. However, out of respect for Drona, Eklavya embarked upon a program of self-study, using a clay image of Drona as his inspiration. Eventually, Eklavya achieved a level of skill superior to that of Arjun, who was Drona's favourite and most accomplished student (but belonging to the royal family of the Pandavas). The Pandavas come across the boy in the forest one day, and Eklavya told them about himself and his deep regard for Guru Drona. In a shrewd move, Drona demanded that Eklavya cut off his right thumb as a gift to his "teacher" (in Indian culture, a teacher's request cannot be denied). This would preclude Eklavya from being as skilled or even better archer than Arjun. Since Eklavya always trusted and respected Drona as his mentor, he agrees to the demand without hesitation, and sheared off his right thumb with his own weapon.10. GhatotkachaGhatotkacha is the son of Bhima and the giantess Hidimbi (sister of Hidimba). His maternal parentage made him half-rakshasa and gave him many magical powers such as the ability to fly that made him an important fighter in the Kurukshetra war, the climax of the epic. He got his name from his head, which was hairless (utkaca) and shaped like a ghatam.