Panchala

Panchala is an ancient Indian kingdom mentioned in Vedic literature and the Mahabharata. It lay in the northern Gangetic plain, encompassing parts of what are now northern Uttar Pradesh and adjacent regions. The kingdom was divided into two political regions: Uttara Panchala (Northern Panchala), whose capital was Ahichhatra, and Dakshina Panchala (Southern Panchala), whose capital was Kampilya. In the late Vedic and early classical periods, Panchala was a major power and cultural center in the region.

In the Mahabharata, Panchala is associated with the royal house of Drupada, king of Panchala at Kampilya, and his son Dhrishtadyumna, who is destined to slay Drona. The Panchalas are also associated with the princess Draupadi, who becomes the wife of the five Pandava brothers following her swayamvara and is central to the epic's narrative. During the Kurukshetra War, many Panchala warriors fight on the Pandava side, reflecting the alliance between the Pandavas and Panchala.

After the epic period, references to Panchala fade in the historical record, and it is generally considered to have been absorbed into later power structures in northern India, including Magadha, though details vary among sources.