| Type: | Hindu |
| Brihadbala | |
| Dynasty: | Suryavamsha |
| Texts: | Mahabharata |
| Region: | Kosala |
| Father: | Viśrutavān |
| Children: | Barhināman |
Brihadbala is a king featured in Hinduism. He is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[1] He is described to be the last king of the Kosala Kingdom. In the Kurukshetra War, Brihadbala fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Abhimanyu.[2]
According to the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana, Brihadbala is a descendant of Rama on Kusha's side, and belongs to the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty). Makhan Jha, in his Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective claims that Brihadbala is the fifteenth king after Rama.[3] Brihadbala is considered to be the last king of the line of Ikshvaku; the dynasty spanned 31-32 generations between Rama and him.[4]
The Mahabharata describes Brihadbala as the ruler of Kingdom of Kosala. He was subjugated by Bhima during the Rajasuya sacrifice, and a subsequent conquest by Karna during the latter's Digvijaya Yatra caused him to side with the Kauravas during the Kurukshetra War.[5] On the thirteenth day of the war, when Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, penetrates into the Padmavyuha, Brihadbala fights him, along with a host of Kaurava warriors including Drona, Kripa, Karna, Ashwatthama, and Kritavarma. In a fierce duel that ensured between him and Abhimanyu, he gets mortally hit by the latter's arrows.[6]
According to the Shiva Purana, Brihadbala is succeeded by his son, Barhināman.[7]
. Ramesh Menon. The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. 2006. iUniverse. 978-0-595-40188-8. 246.