Mahabharata

The Mahabharata or Mahābhārata (US /məhɑːˈbɑːrətə/; UK /ˌmɑːhəˈbɑːrətə/;Sanskrit: महाभारतम्, Mahābhāratam, pronounced [məɦaːˈbʱaːrət̪əm]) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.

The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right.

Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE, though the origins of the epic probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE). The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhārata dynasty". According to the Mahabharata itself, the tale is extended from a shorter version of 24,000 verses called simply Bhārata.

Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki

Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki was an Indian television epic series. Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki premiered on 9X 7 July 2008. It was a modern version of the epic Mahabharata and aired Monday through Thursday evenings.

Synopsis

It tells the story of a dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapur, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Although the Kauravas are the senior branch of the family, Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurava, is younger than Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandav. The seeds of the climactic battle of Kurukshetra were laid in the boyhood days of the Kauravas and Pandavas, when Shakuni the maternal uncle of the Kauravas poisoned the mind of Duryodhana.

Cast

Mahabharata (comics)

Mahabharata (also known as Amar Chitra Katha's Mahabharata) is a comic adaptation of Indian epic poem Mahabharata. The 42-issue best-selling series by Amar Chitra Katha, Mumbai was illustrated by Dilip Kadam. The team of script writers (took turns to complete the 42 issues) included Kamala Chandrakanth, TMP Nedungadi, Subba Rao, Yagya Sharma, Lopamudra, Mihir Lal Mitra, Sumona Roy, Mohan Swaminathan, Shubha Kandhekar and Margie Sastry.

The Mahabharata is often regarded as one of the most popular title in the history of Amar Chitra Katha. It is also the longest series (42 issue run on an alternative title schedule; from 329-441 [1985-89] in over more than 1300 pages) to have been produced by the ACK. The series was originally planned for 60 albums, but it was later cut short to 42.

Concept and creation

Amar Chitra Katha had a strong commitment to the Mahabharata from the very beginning. Many of its titles were from based on particular events or characters from the Mahabharata. In March 1985, the new project began, "in response to a persistent demand from our readers for a comprehensive account of the epic." The ambitious series by Anant Pai was initially decided as a 60 volume project, with one issue in every fortnight. However, in 1988, Amar Chitra Katha issued only one issue a month, so that Mahabharata numbers came out only in every two months.