Indraprastha
By Swami Harshananda
King Dhṛtarāṣtra gave the Pāṇḍava-s half the kingdom on their return to Hastināpura, after their marriage with Draupadī. The Pāṇḍava-s desired to build a suitable city for their capital. Kṛṣṇa called Viśvakarma, the architect of the gods, and asked him to build a city at Khāṇḍavaprastha, the level ground, where the Khāṇḍava forest was earlier situated. This had been burnt down by Agni, the fire-god. Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa had given him all the help and protection in this act.
Indraprastha, situated on the bank of the Yamunā river, was the most beautiful of all the cities of that time. Pāṇḍava-s conducted the Rājasuya sacrifice in their grand palace of this city. When the Pāṇḍava-s decided to leave for their final journey (mahāprasthāna), they crowned the prince Vajra, grandson of Kṛṣṇa, as the king of Indraprastha. The old city of Delhi is at the same site of Indraprastha.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore