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Most of us have read or heard or seen the great epic 'Mahabharat' in one form or other. Numerous versions, translations
and references have been made about this story of struggle between Pandavs and Kauravs. Various kingdoms have been described in this tale like Hastinapur; the kaurav kingdom, Dwarka, ruled by Krishna; Gandhar, ruled by Shakuni, the maternal uncle of kauravs; Manipur, the Nagdesh; and Magadh, ruled by Jarasandh. There are a lot more but then the flow of story will be lost while mentioning them. Shakuni, king of Gandhar, was adept in the game of Dyoot. Dyoot was the ancient game of gambling and it enjoyed royal patronage. It was so liked by the kings that challenging someone for playing the game was akin to a challenge for duel in wild west. Its invition could not be refused and almost everything could be put on bet. Shakuni, had a pair of dice which were loaded and under the total control of his deft fingers. Taking advantage of this virtue of his, Kauravs invited Pandavas for a gambling game. Not surprisingly, Pandavas soon lost their kingdom and all their wealth, then they lost another bet according to which they were to go to forest, on vanvaas, for twelve years. In the thirteenth year they were to live in hiding under disguise and changed identities. If they were found out, they would have to go to forests for another twelve years. That thirteenth year was spent by Pandavs under changed identities in Viratnagar, the capital of Matsya Desh. There, King Virat was on the throne. He had a son called Uttar and a daughter named Uttara. Yudhisthira, the eldest of Pandavs disguised himself as a scholar and became the king's advisor. Bhim, the angriest and strongest of all humans was the second pandav. He chose the only profession he liked, cooking and eating. He became the royal cook. Arjun, the great archer and warrior, was the most difficult one to hide. Being very famous across the sub-continent, he could easily be recognised. He disguised as a eunuch and became the dance teacher to Uttara. No one could have related Arjun to dance. Thus, he was safe. The last two Pandavs, who were twins, Nakul and Sahdev, were employed in the royal stable as stablehands. Draupadi, Pandavs' wife became a maid servant to the queen. The present day area which includes Alwar district in Rajasthan and is spread from Gurgaon to the boundaries of Jaipur is the ancient Matsya desh. Alwar is barely three hours drive away from Delhi. It is between Delhi and Jaipur. Between Jaipur and Alwar, if one goes by road, one can find a small town called Viratnagar. The locals it Bairath. Surrounded by aravali hills and some small villages, this town goes almost unnoticed as one passes by. Not many travellers are aware of the legends and tales that are linked to this town and are told by the villagers and townspeople. The whole town starts and finishes between two prominent hills, Ganesh Parvat and Hanuman Parvat. In my next article, I will describe the Ganesh mountain as seen through the eyes of a nine year old as I saw it 23 years ago
Published: October 08, 2005
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