Svetlltn at 18:32, 13 January 2026

2026-01-13T18:32:34Z

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{{short description|Character in Mahabharata}}
{{also|Kichaka language}}
{{Infobox character
| info-hdr = Information
| image = Raja Ravi Varma, Keechaka and Sairandhri, 1890.jpg
| caption = Keechak tries to molest Sairandhri (Draupadi), painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]].
| weapon =
| family = [[Sūta]] king of Kekaya (father)<br>Malavi (mother)<br>[[Sudeshna]] (elder sister)<br>Upa-Kichaka (younger brothers)
|relatives= [[Virata]] (brother-in-law)<br>[[Uttara (Mahabharata)|Uttara]], [[Uttarā]], and [[Characters in the Mahabharata#Shankha|Shankha]] (nephew - niece)
| origin =
| home = [[Kekaya]] (originally), [[Matsya]]
}}

'''Kichaka''' ({{langx|sa|कीचक|Kīcaka}}) is a character in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', who served as the [[commander-in-chief]] of King [[Virata]]'s army in the [[Matsya kingdom|Matsya Kingdom]]. He was the son of ''[[Sūta]]'' king of the [[Kekaya]] and Malavi, and had 105 younger brothers known as the Upa-Kichakas. His sister, [[Sudeshna]], was married to King Virata, and Kichaka lived in the Virata palace after her marriage. Renowned for his strength and military prowess, Kichaka had frequently defeated King [[Susharma]]n of Trigarta in battle and is described to wield more authority than Virata himself. His story is most notable for his encounter with [[Draupadi]] during the [[Pandava]]s' [[Ajnatavasa|incognito stay]] in Matsya. After repeatedly harassing Draupadi, he was killed by her husband [[Bhima]], who crushed him to death.

== Literary background ==
The ''[[Mahabharata]]'', one of the [[Sanskrit]] epics from the [[Indian subcontinent]], other being the ''[[Ramayana]]''. It mainly narrates the events and aftermath of the [[Kurukshetra War]], a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the [[Kauravas]] and the [[Pandavas]]. The work is written in Classical Sanskrit and is a composite work of revisions, editing and interpolations over many centuries. The oldest parts in the surviving version of the text may date to near 400 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brockington |first=J. L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HR-_LK5kl18C&pg=PA26 |title=The Sanskrit Epics |publisher=Brill Academic |year=1998 |isbn=978-9-00410-260-6 |page=26}}</ref>

The ''Mahabharata'' manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'' which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Minor |first=Robert N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ru_RjwEACAAJ |title=Bhagavad Gita: An Exegetical Commentary |publisher=South Asia Books |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-8364-0862-1 |pages=l–li |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416075912/https://books.google.com/books?id=ru_RjwEACAAJ |archive-date=16 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts more profuse and longer. Scholars have attempted to construct a [[critical edition]], relying mostly on a study of the "Bombay" edition, the "Poona" edition, the "Calcutta" edition and the "south Indian" editions of the manuscripts. The most accepted version is one prepared by scholars led by [[Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar|Vishnu Sukthankar]] at the [[Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute]], preserved at [[Kyoto University]], [[Cambridge University]] and various Indian universities.<ref>{{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC&pg=PA19 |title=The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahabharata |publisher=Brill Academic |year=2004 |isbn=978-9-00413-729-5 |pages=19–26 |access-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416075934/https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC&pg=PA19 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legend==

=== Birth and early life ===
Kichaka was the son of King [[Kekaya]], a ruler from ''Sutas'' class, and Queen Malavi. Kichaka had 105 younger brothers, collectively known as the Upa-Kichakas, and one sister, [[Sudeshna]]. According to the Southern Recension of the ''Mahabharata'', Kichaka and his brothers were believed to be born from an aspect of Bana, the eldest of the [[Kalakeyas|Kalakeya]] [[Asura]]s, known for their great strength and demonic lineage. Sudeshna married King [[Virata]], ruler of [[Matsya kingdom|Matsya]], and following her marriage, Kichaka and his brothers also moved to Virata's palace. There, Kichaka rose to become the commander-in-chief of Virata's army. He earned a reputation as a formidable warrior by repeatedly defeating King [[Susharma]]n of the neighboring kingdom of [[Trigarta kingdom|Trigarta]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mani |first=Vettam |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Pur%C4%81%E1%B9%87ic_Encyclopaedia/32mjvgEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Purāṇic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Purāṇic Literature |date= |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-8426-0822-0 |pages=[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/compilation/puranic-encyclopaedia/d/doc241700.html ''Kīcaka''] |language=en}}</ref>

=== The year of incognito ===
[[File:Draupadi humiliated RRV.jpg|left|thumb|Kichaka (left) kicks [[Draupadi]] in the royal court of Virata, painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]]]]
During their exile, the [[Pandava]]s spent their thirteenth year [[Ajnatavasa|incognito]] at the court of King Virata. To remain hidden, they took on various disguises and occupations. [[Draupadi]], the wife of the Pandavas, assumed the name Malini and served as a Sairandhri (maid and chaperone) to Queen Sudeshna. When Kichaka first saw Malini (Draupadi), he became infatuated with her beauty. Despite repeated attempts to win her affection, Draupadi rejected his advances, warning him that she was already married to [[gandharva]] (celestial musician).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mahabharata, Book 4: Virata Parva: Kichaka-badha Parva: Section XIV |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m04/m04014.htm |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>
Kichaka then sought the help of his sister, Sudeshna, who reluctantly agreed to assist him. On the New Moon day, Sudeshna asked Malini to deliver a plate of food and wine to Kichaka. Though hesitant, Draupadi followed the queen's orders.<ref name=":0" />

In his chambers, Kichaka approaches Draupadi with lustful intentions. Offering her gifts, he invites her to sit with him, but Draupadi, maintaining composure, tries to leave, but Kichaka grabs her arm and attempts to detain her. Draupadi rebukes him, asserting her loyalty to her husbands and predicting his downfall. As she tries to escape, Kichaka seizes her garment and pulls her down. Enraged, Draupadi throws him to the ground, but he regains his footing, chases her into the royal court, and humiliates her by kicking her in front of King Virata and his courtiers, including her disguised husband [[Yudhishthira]] (who was disguised as a courtier at that time). Neither Yudhishthira nor King Virata could react because Kichaka wielded so much power within the kingdom. Draupadi's cries for help summoned a guardian spirit ([[Rakshasa]]) tasked with protecting her, who intervened, shoving Kichaka forcefully and rendering him unconscious.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mahabharata, Book 4: Virata Parva: Kichaka-badha Parva: Section XVI |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m04/m04016.htm |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref>

=== Death ===
[[File:Draupdadi watching Kichaka and Bhima fighting (crop).jpg|thumb|Bhima and Kichaka fight, while Draupadi watches them, manuscript folio]]
Devastated and humiliated by Kichaka's assault, Draupadi went to Bhima and recounted the entire ordeal. Bhima, enraged by her suffering, vowed to punish Kichaka. He instructed Draupadi to invite Kichaka to a clandestine meeting at the royal dancing hall that night. Bhima planned to lie in wait, disguised in Draupadi's place. As planned, Kichaka arrived at the hall at midnight, expecting to meet Draupadi. In the dim light, he mistook Bhima for her. As he leaned in to kiss what he believed was Draupadi, Bhima sprang to life and seized Kichaka in his iron grip. In a violent struggle, Bhima crushed Kichaka to death, shattering his bones and ending his life.<ref name=":0" />

The next morning, Kichaka's brothers, the Upa-Kichakas, discovered his lifeless body. Enraged, they vowed to avenge his death. Believing Draupadi to be responsible, they abducted her with the intention of burning her alive on Kichaka's funeral pyre. Hearing Draupadi's desperate cries for help, Bhima rushed to the cremation ground. In a fierce battle, he single-handedly killed all 105 Upa-Kichakas, rescuing Draupadi from certain death. Following the massacre, Kichaka and his brothers were cremated together in the presence of King Virata and the court.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
*[[Bheema]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Mahābhārata}}

[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Kichaka - Revision history

Svetlltn at 18:32, 13 January 2026