Indraprastha

legendary city, India

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

Indraprastha was a legendary city in ancient India, central to the epic Mahabharata. It was established by the Pandavas, five brothers who were sons of the dynastic hero Pandu. The city was built on a barren tract of land that the Pandavas transformed into a great capital.123

The Mahabharata is one of India's two major Sanskrit epic poems and is a significant source for understanding the development of Hinduism. The epic narrates the struggle for sovereignty between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas. This conflict ultimately led to a great war in Kurukshetra, after which the Pandavas ruled Indraprastha for some years before renouncing worldly life.231

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Delhi
History of Delhi
…the narrative, a city called Indraprastha (“City of the God Indra”), built about 1400 bce, was the capital of the Pandavas. Although nothing remains of Indraprastha, legend holds it to have been a thriving city. The first reference to the place-name Delhi seems to have been made in the 1st…
Read More
…the narrative, a city called Indraprastha (“City of the God Indra”), built about 1400 bce, was the capital of the Pandavas. Although nothing remains of Indraprastha, legend holds it to have been a thriving city. The first reference to the place-name Delhi seems to have been made in the 1st…
Read More