Who Is — character glossary
Every major character, in one place — see which epics they appear in.
IndraKing of the gods, wielder of the thunderbolt, credited with command74ShivaGod of dissolution and of yoga, husband of Parvati. Known for his72BrahmaGod of creation, who emerged from a lotus growing from Vishnu's navel.62KrishnaAn avatar of Vishnu, born to Vasudeva and Devaki but raised by Yashoda.61VishnuGod of preservation, reclining eternally on the serpent Shesha.57ArjunaThird of the five Pandavas, the finest archer among them. Krishna's36RamaPrince of Ayodhya, held to be an avatar of Vishnu. Went into fourteen33ParvatiDaughter of the Himalayas, wife of Shiva, mother of Ganesha and32LakshmiGoddess of wealth, prosperity and good fortune, Vishnu's wife.27YudhishthiraEldest of the Pandavas, known above all for his commitment to truth26RavanaKing of Lanka, a ten-headed scholar and devotee of Shiva. The24SitaDaughter of King Janaka, wife of Rama. Abducted by Ravana and held21GarudaVishnu's mount, son of Vinata and Kashyapa. Known as an enemy of21KartikeyaSon of Shiva and Parvati, commander of the gods' armies. Born to kill20NaradaA celestial sage who wanders the three worlds with his veena. Appears20DurgaA warrior goddess formed from the combined radiance of the gods,19BhimaSecond of the Pandavas, famed for his immense strength. Remembered for17DraupadiDaughter of King Drupada of Panchala, wife to all five Pandavas. Her17GaneshaThe elephant-headed god, son of Shiva and Parvati. Worshipped first17LakshmanaRama's younger brother, who went into exile with him unasked.16HanumanA vanara, son of the wind-god Vayu and Anjana, famed for his strength16KaliOne of Durga's fiercest forms, born from her forehead in a burst of15KarnaSon of Kunti and the sun-god Surya, abandoned at birth and raised by a14BharataRama's younger brother, son of Kaikeyi. His mother's boon sent Rama14BhishmaThe eldest and most revered warrior of the Kuru line, who took a vow14VyasaHeld to be the author of the Mahabharata and the compiler of the13DuryodhanaEldest of the Kauravas, son of Dhritarashtra. His rivalry with the12KamsaThe tyrant king of Mathura, Devaki's brother. Warned by a prophecy12BalaramaKrishna's elder brother, who carries a plough as his weapon. Present11DasharathaKing of Ayodhya, father of Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.10DronaTeacher of both the Kauravas and Pandavas, unmatched in archery.10DakshaA Prajapati, Sati's father. His enmity toward Shiva led him to leave9PrahladaSon of the demon-king Hiranyakashipu, devoted to Vishnu from8DhritarashtraThe blind Kuru king, Duryodhana's father. Watched injustice unfold8VibhishanaRavana's younger brother, devoted to dharma. Exiled from Lanka for7KuntiPandu's wife, mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna — and, as it7AbhimanyuSon of Arjuna and Subhadra. Learned to enter the deadly Chakravyuha7SatiDaksha's daughter, Shiva's first wife. Immolated herself in her7SugrivaVanara king of Kishkindha, Vali's younger brother. Rama killed Vali6ShatrughnaRama's youngest brother, son of Sumitra, twin to Lakshmana. Stayed5KaikeyiDasharatha's youngest queen, mother of Bharata. Persuaded by her5ViduraHalf-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu, minister of Hastinapura.5DuhshasanaDuryodhana's younger brother. Tried to publicly disrobe Draupadi in4AshwatthamaSon of Dronacharya, held to be immortal. Raided the sleeping Pandava4YashodaNanda's wife, Krishna's foster mother. Witness to and centre of4ValiVanara king of Kishkindha, Sugriva's elder brother, famed for his3JatayuA giant vulture, friend of Dasharatha. Fought Ravana to stop him3KumbhakarnaRavana's giant elder brother, cursed to sleep for six months at a3IndrajitRavana's son, the mightiest warrior on the Lankan side. Named3GandhariWife of Dhritarashtra, mother of Duryodhana. Blindfolded herself for3ManasaA folk goddess of serpents, worshipped with particular devotion in3ShurpanakhaRavana's sister, a rakshasi. Became infatuated with Rama in2ShakuniGandhari's brother, Duryodhana's maternal uncle. The mastermind2SaraswatiGoddess of speech, learning, music and the arts. First a river2MahishasuraA demon who could take the form of a buffalo, protected by a boon2RadhaA gopi of Vrindavana, held to be Krishna's most beloved companion. The1MandodariRavana's chief queen, devoted to dharma. Repeatedly urged him to1RukminiPrincess of Vidarbha, Krishna's chief queen. Sent Krishna a letter1