SexViolHist Bib: Cases: Mythological Cases: Rape by Pandu

»Pandu (Sanskrit: पाण्डु, romanized: Pāṇḍu, lit. 'pale') is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the king of the Kuru kingdom, with his capital at Hastinapura. He was the legal father of the five Pandavas, who are the central characters of the epic.« (Extract from: Wikipedia)

G e n e r a l K e y w o r d s

I. Chronological Index: Ancient History: Indian History

II. Geographical Index: Asian History: Indian History

III. Topical Index: Types: General: Rape | Offenders: Social Status: Noblemen; Circumstances: Serial Offenders | Victims: Social Status: Noblewomen

Rape of Kunti

I n f o r m a t i o n

»Kunti (Sanskrit: कुन्ती, IAST: Kuntī), also known as Pritha (Sanskrit: पृथा, IAST: Pṛthā), is a prominent character in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem. A princess of the Vrishni dynasty, she becomes the wife of Pandu, king of the Kuru Kingdom, and is chiefly known as the mother of the five Pandavas—having given birth to the three eldest, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna—and raising their younger stepbrothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, as her own.« (Extract from: Wikipedia)

Representations: Literary Texts: Mahāpurāṇu, Uttarapurāṇa

Rape of Madri

I n f o r m a t i o n

»Madri (Sanskrit: माद्री, IAST: Mādrī), also known as Madravati (Sanskrit: माद्रवती, IAST: Mādravatī), is a legendary character in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem. She is the princess from the Madra Kingdom and becomes the second wife of Pandu, the king of the Kuru Kingdom. She is the mother of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, the youngest of the five Pandava brothers.« (Extract from: : Wikipedia)

B i b l i o g r a p h y

I. Author Index

[Info] Hoose, Anahita. »The god with a thousand vulvas: Heroic feminisation in ancient India and Greece.« Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (2025).

II. Speaker Index