Shalya
| Shalya | |
|---|---|
| Mahabharata character | |
Shalya driving the chariot of Karna (cropped), Pahari painting, c. 1820 | |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | Kauravas |
| Weapon | Spear and Gada |
| Family | Madri (sister) |
| Children | Rukmangada and Rukmaratha |
| Relatives | Nakula and Sahadeva (nephews), Pandu (brother-in-law) |
| Origin | Madra |
Shalya (Sanskrit: शल्य, lit. Pike) is a character in the Mahabharata, one of two Sanskrit epics of Ancient India. He was a powerful king from the Bahlika clan, ruling over the Madra kingdom in the Northwest region of the Indian subcontinent. Although he was the brother of Madri, the wife of Pandu, Shalya sided with the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War. Despite his allegiance, he supported the Pandavas and wished for their victory. While he initially fought as a key warrior for the Kauravas, he was made Karna’s charioteer and, following Karna’s death, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava forces. Shalya was killed by the eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira.