First Battle of Panchala

First Battle of Panchala
Part of Mahabharata
The Court of Drupada after the victory over the Kauravas of the Kuru Kingdom.
Location Panchala Kingdom, modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India Result Panchala victory Kauravas failure of Subjugation of Drupada. Drona orders Pandavas for an invasion, Pandava invasion of Panchala begins.
Belligerents
Panchala Kingdom	Kauravas of Kuru Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Drupada	Duryodhana (WIA) Karna (WIA) Dushasana (WIA) Vikarna (WIA) and other 97 Kauravas

The Kaurava invasion of Panchala was a major military campaign in the Mahabharata, occurring during the buildup to the Kurukshetra War. It was launched by Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, with the objective of subjugating King Drupada of Panchala, a key ally of the Pandavas and father of Draupadi. This invasion was part of a broader strategy to weaken Pandava support and assert Kaurava dominance across northern India. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, Drupada mounted a fierce resistance, demonstrating remarkable valor on the battlefield.

Background

Drupada becomes the king of Panchala after the death of Prishata. According to the Adi Parva of the epic, his capital was known as Kampilya. Meanwhile, Drona lives a life of poverty but after his son, Ashvatthama, is teased for being so poor that he is unable to afford milk, he approaches Drupada for help. Drupada, now conscious of the difference of status between them, refuses to acknowledge their friendship and shuns Drona, and calls him a beggar.

"O Brahmana (Drona), thy intelligence is scarcely of a high order, inasmuch as thou sayest unto me, all on a sudden, that thou art my friend! O thou of dull apprehension, great kings can never be friends with such luckless and indigent wights as thou! It is true there had been friendship between thee and me before, for we were then both equally circumstanced. But Time that impaireth everything in its course, impaireth friendship also. In this world, friendship never endureth for ever in any heart. Time weareth it off and anger destroyeth it too. Do not stick, therefore, to that worn-off friendship. Think not of it any longer. The friendship I had with thee, O first of Brahmanas, was for a particular purpose. Friendship can never subsist between a poor man and a rich man, between a man of letters and an unlettered mind, between a hero and a coward. Why dost thou desire the continuance of our former friendship? There may be friendship or hostility between persons equally situated as to wealth or might. The indigent and the affluent can neither be friends nor quarrel with each other. One of impure birth can never be a friend to one of pure birth; one who is not a car-warrior can never be a friend to one who is so; and one who is not a king never have a king for his friend. Therefore, why dost thou desire the continuance of our former friendship?"

— Drupada (Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Section CXXXII)

Drona becomes infuriated and vows to avenge the insult. After leaving the palace, he wanders about in search of disciples who are capable of confronting Drupada. He is later employed by Bhishma to train the Kuru princes—the Pandava brothers and the Kaurava brothers. After their military education ends, Drona asks them to defeat and capture Drupada as his gurudakshina (fees).

Battle

The Kaurava princes mounted their chariots and sped toward Panchala. Accompanied by a large force of horsemen, they soon arrived at Drupada’s capital, Kāmpilya. Duryodhana and his brothers vied with one another to lead the attack. They rushed toward the city gates with weapons raised. Sending up cries, they burst into Kāmpilya along its main highway while the terrified citizens hid in their houses.

As the battle unfolded, King Drupada, upon sighting the Kaurava army, charged into the fray, unleashing a relentless barrage of arrows that caused significant disruption among enemy ranks. His swift and agile movements on the battlefield created such confusion that the Kauravas imagined multiple warriors attacking under his name, despite him being alone on a single chariot. His arrows rained down on all sides with such intensity that alarm signals conchs, drums, and trumpets began echoing from the Panchala strongholds. Responding to the call, the Panchala forces surged forward with a deafening roar, while the resonance of their bowstrings echoed like thunder.

In response, several prominent Kaurava warriors including Duryodhana, Vikarna, Suvahu, Dirghalochana, and Duhsasana counterattacked with volleys of arrows. Undeterred by their assault, the seasoned warrior Drupada, though struck by numerous shafts, redoubled his efforts and inflicted heavy casualties among the opposition.

Whirling across the battlefield with unmatched energy, Drupada targeted key Kaurava figures such as Duryodhana, Vikarna, and Karna, along with numerous other princes and fighters, quelling their battle fervor. Civilians of Panchala young and old alike joined the struggle, hurling missiles at the invaders with determination. Overwhelmed by the escalating intensity and fierce resistance, the Kaurava forces eventually lost cohesion and retreated in disarray toward the Pandava lines.