In the Mahabharata, the Kurukshetra War traditionally lasted 18 days.
The war was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas at Kurukshetra, with many allied kings and warriors taking part. The narrative describes a sequence of commanders, including Bhishma, Drona, Karna, and Shalya, as leadership passed from one side’s principal warrior to another.
The number 18 recurs throughout the epic. The armies are described as consisting of 18 akshauhinis in total, 11 supporting the Kauravas and 7 supporting the Pandavas. The Mahabharata itself is also traditionally divided into 18 major parvas, while the Bhagavad Gita contains 18 chapters.
The war’s traditional duration should not be treated as a securely dated historical event. The Mahabharata is an epic whose composition developed over centuries, and historians do not agree on a verifiable historical date for the conflict.