Chandrahasa
| Chandrahasa | |
|---|---|
King of Kuntala | |
Vishaya comes across a sleeping Chandrahasa | |
| Symbol | Shaligrama |
| Texts | Mahabharata |
| Region | Karnataka |
| Consorts | Vishaya and Champakamalini |
| Offspring | Padmaksha and Makaraksha |
Chandrahasa (Sanskrit: चन्द्रहास, lit. 'laughter of the moon') is a king of the Kuntala kingdom in Hindu mythology. The story of Chandrahasa is described in the Ashvamedhika Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Chandrahasa befriends Arjuna who was accompanied by Krishna guarding the ashvamedha ceremony of Yudhishthira. Chandrahasa anoints his son Makaraksha as the king and accompanies the army of Arjuna to help the ashvamedha.
The story of Chandrahasa is also depicted in the Kannada epic Jaimini Bharatha of the poet Lakshmeesha. The popular story of the prince Chandrahasa is also played in popular films and in Yakshagana theatre.