Origin of Khandavprastha
- Originally, the site was a dense, forested region known as the Khandava Forest.
- This forest was inhabited by Naga tribes, led by Takshaka, and other unrighteous beings.
- The god of fire, Agni, required the forest to be cleared to fulfill his hunger, but Indra would repeatedly put out the fires with rain.
- Krishna and Arjuna helped Agni by setting the forest ablaze, driving out its inhabitants.
Transformation into Indraprastha
- The land cleared from the Khandava Forest became the site for Indraprastha, the magnificent capital city of the Pandavas.
- The architect Mayasura was rescued from the fire by Krishna and built the grand Mayasabha, a palace of illusions, for the Pandavas.
- With the hard work of the Pandavas and Krishna, the region was transformed into a prosperous and well-planned city.
- The land was given to the Pandavas by their uncle Dhritarashtra as their "field of action" (Karambhoomi), a place where they could establish their own kingdom.
- Indraprastha became the official residence and kingdom of the Pandavas and later hosted the Rajasuya Yajna performed by Yudhishthira.
- The burning of the Khandava forest was a significant event, creating lasting enmity between the Naga king Takshaka and the Kuru kings who ruled from Indraprastha and Hastinapura.
- The forest and the resulting city were located on the banks of the Yamuna River, in the territory of modern-day Delhi.kingdom.
