Which kingdom was Gandhari from?

Which kingdom was Gandhari from? Gandhari was from the kingdom of Gandhara.

Gandhari was a princess of Gandhara who married Dhritarashtra, the Kuru prince of Hastinapura. Her birthplace explains her name: Gandhari means a woman associated with Gandhara. In the Mahabharata, her brother Shakuni is also identified with the Gandhara royal family, and their father is commonly named Subala.

Gandhara was an ancient kingdom in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Its territory broadly corresponded to parts of modern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Important cities associated with the kingdom included Takshashila and Pushkalavati. In later historical periods, Gandhara became especially famous for its art, learning, and connections between South Asia and Central Asia.

Readers sometimes confuse Gandhara with Madra because both kingdoms are connected to major royal women in the epic. Gandhari belongs to Gandhara, while Madri, the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva, came from Madra. Gandhari’s marriage linked the northwestern kingdom to the Kuru court and made her one of the epic’s central figures.