What was the name of the capital city of the Kauravas?

Hastinapura was the capital city of the Kauravas in the Mahabharata. More precisely, it was the capital of the Kuru kingdom, the realm ruled by the Kuru dynasty to which the Kauravas and Pandavas belonged.

The city is associated with King Hasti, whose name is reflected in the Sanskrit term Hastinapura, often translated as “City of Elephants.” Much of the epic’s political drama unfolds there, including the succession dispute between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira, the dice game, and the Pandavas’ return after exile.

Hastinapura is not the same as Indraprastha, which became the Pandavas’ capital after the Kuru kingdom was divided. Mathura is chiefly associated with Krishna, while Ayodhya is traditionally linked with Rama in the Ramayana. In later episodes of the Mahabharata, a flood is said to have damaged Hastinapura during the reign of King Nichakshu, after which the Kuru capital was moved to Kaushambi.