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Yudhishthira

Yudhishthira (), also known as Dharmaputra () and Dharmaraja (), was the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the son of Indraprastha's queen, Kunti, and Yama, the Hindu god of death and justice. He was the king of Indraprastha and later the King of the Kuru kingdom in the epic.

Yudhishthira was the son of Kunti, the first wife of King Pandu, fathered by the god of death and dharma, Yama, due to a curse preventing Pandu from having children. Yudhishthira held a strong belief in ''dharma'' (morals and virtues) and was chosen as the crown prince of Kuru. However, after the Lakshagriha incident, he was presumed dead and his cousin Duryodhana was appointed as the new heir. The kingdom was split in half due to a succession dispute between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana. Yudhishthira received the barren half, which he later transformed into the magnificent city of Indraprastha.

Yudhishthira and his brothers, the Pandavas (), had a polyandrous marriage with Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, who became the empress of Indraprastha. After Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya Yagna, he was invited to play a game of dice by his jealous cousin, Duryodhana and his uncle, Shakuni. Shakuni, a master at the game, represented Duryodhana against Yudhishthira and manipulated him into gambling his kingdom, wealth, the freedom of his brothers, Draupadi, and even himself. After the game, the Pandavas and Draupadi were sent into exile for thirteen years, with the last year requiring them to live incognito. During his exile, Yudhisthira was tested by his divine father Yama. During the last year of the exile, known as Agyaata Vaasa, Yudhishthira disguised himself as a Brahmin named Kanka and served as the King of Matsya Kingdom.

Yudhishthira was the leader of the successful Pandava faction in the Kurukshetra War and defeated many venerable warriors such as Shalya. He then ruled the Kuru Kingdom for 36 years before announcing his retirement. At the end of the epic, he was the only one among his brothers to ascend to heaven while retaining his mortal body. Provided by Wikipedia