The
Kurukshetra War (
Sanskrit: कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध) is a war described in the
Indian epic Mahabharata as a conflict that arose from a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins, the
Kauravas and
Pandavas, for the throne of
Hastinapura in an Indian kingdom called
Kuru. It involved a number of ancient kingdoms participating as allies of the rival groups.