Topic summary
Trigarta Kingdom
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Trigarta.
Mahabharata
Trigarta is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It mentions two different Trigarta kingdoms: one in the west, close to the Sivi kingdom, and the other north of the Kuru kingdom. Modern Kangra is one of the ancient towns in North Trigarta, extending westward to the Punjab area. Multan was the capital of Trigarta, with its original name being Mulasthan. The territory of Trigarta kingdom is around the three rivers of Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi. Trigarta kings were allies of Duryodhana and enemies of the Pandavas and Viratas. Their capital was named Prasthala. They attacked the Virata kingdom aided by the Kurus to steal cattle from there. The Pandavas living there in anonymity helped the Viratas to resist the combined forces of Trigartas and Kurus. Trigarta kings fought the Kurukshetra War and were killed by Arjuna, after a ruthless and bloody conflict. Arjuna also annihilated an akshauhini (a large military unit) of Trigarta warriors called the Samsaptakas. These warriors had vowed to either die or kill Arjuna as part of a larger plan by Duryodhana to capture Yudhishthira alive.