Virata

Virata
Virata
	A lithograph of Virata in his court by Ravi Varma Press, 1920
Information
Family	10 brothers including Shatanika; Madirashva;
Spouse	Sudeshna (chief queen)
Children	Shankha, Uttara (sons) and Uttarā (daughter)

Virata (Sanskrit: विराट, IAST virāṭa) was the King of Matsya, a prominent figure in the Indian epic Mahabharata, and the titular character of the epic's fourth book, Virata Parva, which recounts the Pandavas’ year of ajnatavasa—incognito exile—in his kingdom. He is best known for unknowingly sheltering the Pandavas during this period, with each of them assuming disguised roles in his court. Virata was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Princess Uttarā, who married Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.^[1]

^ Dowson, John (1888). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature. Trubner & Co., London. p. 1.

[1] Dowson, John (1888). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature. Trubner & Co., London. p. 1.

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