Editing Kuru kingdom

{{short description|Ancient Indo-aryan Vedic union}}
{{Fiction|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Kuru
| common_name            = Kingdom of Kuru
| era                    = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type        = [[Elective monarchy]]{{sfn|Misra|1973|p=12}}
| year_start             = {{Circa|1200 BCE&nbsp;}}
| year_end               = &nbsp;{{Circa|500 BCE}}
| event1                 = Kuru Kingdom got divided into Kuru and [[Vatsa]] Kingdom
| date_event1            = {{Circa|700 BCE&nbsp;}}
| p1                     = Bharatas (tribe)
| p2                     = Puru (Vedic tribe)
| s1                     = Vatsa
| s2                     = Yaudheya
| s3                     = Mahajanapadas
| image_map              = Map of Kuru Kingdom.jpg
| image_map_caption      = 
| capital                = {{plain list|
*[[Assandh|Āsandīvat]] (modern [[Haryana]]),
*[[Hastinapura]] (modern [[Meerut division]], [[Saharanpur division]] and [[Aligarh division]])
*[[Indraprastha]] (modern [[Delhi]] and some part of [[National Capital Region (India)]])
}}
| common_languages       = [[Vedic Sanskrit]] now is [[Kauravi]] known as [[Khadiboli]]
| religion               = [[Historical Vedic religion]]<br>
| title_leader           = [[List of Kuru kings|Raja]] (King)
| leader1                = [[Parikshit]]
| year_leader1           = 12th–9th centuries BCE
| leader2                = [[Janamejaya]]
| year_leader2           = 12th–9th centuries BCE
| today                  = [[India]]
| demonym                = 
| legislature            = [[Sabhā]]
| area_km2               = 
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
| currency               = [[Karshapana]]
}}

'''Kuru''' was a Vedic [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] tribal union in northern [[Iron Age India]] of the [[Bharatas (tribe)|Bharata]] and [[Puru (Vedic tribe)|Puru tribes]]. The Kuru kingdom appeared in the Middle [[Vedic period]]{{sfn|Pletcher|2010|p=63}}{{sfn|Witzel|1995|p=6}} ({{Circa|1200|900 BCE}}), encompassing parts of the modern-day states of [[Haryana]], [[Delhi]], and some North parts of [[Western Uttar Pradesh]]. The Kuru Kingdom was the first recorded [[State (polity)|state-level society]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]].{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}<ref>{{cite book |editor=B. Kölver |year=1997 |title=Recht, Staat und Verwaltung im klassischen Indien |trans-title=Law, State and Administration in Classical India |language=de |place=München |publisher=R. Oldenbourg |pages=27–52}}</ref>{{sfn|Samuel|2010}}

The Kuru kingdom became a dominant political and cultural force in the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of [[Parikshit]] and [[Janamejaya]],{{sfn|Witzel|1995}} but declined in importance during the late Vedic period ({{Circa|900|500 BCE}}) and had become "something of a backwater"{{sfn|Samuel|2010}} by the [[Mahajanapadas|Mahajanapada period]] in the 5th century BCE. However, traditions and legends about the Kurus continued into the post-Vedic period, providing the basis for the [[Mahabharata]] epic.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}

The Kuru kingdom corresponds with the archaeological [[Painted Grey Ware culture]].{{sfn|Samuel|2010}} The Kuru kingdom decisively changed the religious heritage of the early Vedic period, arranging their ritual hymns into collections called the [[Vedas]], and transforming the [[Historical Vedic religion]] into [[Brahmanism]], which eventually contributed to the [[Hindu synthesis]].{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=75-76, 78}}{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2002}}

==Location==
Kuru state was located in northwestern India, stretching from the [[Ganges|Gaṅgā river]] and the border of the [[Pañcāla|Pañcāla state]] in the east to the [[Sarasvati River|Sarasvatī]] and the frontier of [[Rohtak|Rohītaka]] in the west, and bordered the [[Kuninda Kingdom|Kulinda]]s in the north and the [[Surasena|Sūrasena]]s and [[Matsya (tribe)|Matsya]] in the south. The area formerly occupied by the Kuru Kingdom covered the presently [[Thanesar]], [[Delhi]], and most of the upper [[Doab#The Doab|Gangetic Doab]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=21-23}}

The Kuru state was itself divided into the Kuru-jaṅgala ("Kuru forest"), the Kuru territory proper, and the Kuru-kṣetra ("Kuru [[Kshetra|region]]"):{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=21-23}}
*Kuru-jaṅgala was a wild area which stretched from the [[Kamyaka Forest|Kāmyaka forest]] on the banks of the [[Sarasvati River|Sarasvatī]] to the [[Khandava Forest|Khāṇḍava forest]]
*proper Kuru territory consisted of the region around Hāstīnapura
*Kuru-kṣetra was located between the [[Khandava Forest|Khāṇḍava forest]] in the south, [[Srughna|Sūrghna]] in the north, and Parīnaḥ in the west. Kuru-kṣetra was between the [[Sarasvati River|Sarasvatī]] and the [[Drishadvati river|Dṛṣadvatī]] rivers

The rivers flowing within the Kuru state included the Aruṇā, Aṃśumatī, Hiraṇvatī, Āpayā, [[Kausiki|Kauśikī]], Sarasvatī, and Dṛṣadvatī or Rakṣī.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=21-23}}

==History==
[[File:ചിതിയുടെയും-ഉപകരണങ്ങളുടെയും മാതൃക.jpg|thumb|Modern replica of utensils and [[Vedic fire altar|falcon shaped altar]] used for [[Agnicayana]], an elaborate [[srauta]] ritual from the Kuru period.]]
[[File:Late_Vedic_Culture_(1100-500_BCE).png|thumb|Kuru and other janapadas in Late Vedic period]]

The main contemporary sources for understanding the Kuru kingdom are the [[Vedas]], containing details of life during this period and allusions to historical persons and events.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}} 

===Formation===
The Kuru Kingdom was formed in the Middle [[Vedic period]]{{sfn|Pletcher|2010|p=63}}{{sfn|Witzel|1995|p=6}} ({{Circa|1200|900 BCE}}) as a result of the alliance and merger between the [[Bhāratas|Bharata]] and [[Puru (Vedic tribe)|Puru]] tribes, in the aftermath of the [[Battle of the Ten Kings]].{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}<ref>National Council of Educational Research and Training, History Text Book, Part 1, India</ref> With their centre of power in the [[Kurukshetra]] region, the Kurus formed the first political centre of the Vedic period and were dominant roughly from 1200 to 800 BCE. The first Kuru capital was at Āsandīvat,{{sfn|Witzel|1995}} identified with modern [[Assandh]] in [[Haryana]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AL45AQAAIAAJ|title=Prāci-jyotī: Digest of Indological Studies|date=1967-01-01|publisher=Kurukshetra University.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|date=2010-01-01|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780143414216|language=en}}</ref> Later literature refers to [[Indraprastha]] (identified with modern [[Delhi]]) and [[Hastinapura]] as the main Kuru cities.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}

===Growth===
The Kurus figure prominently in [[Vedas|Vedic literature]] after the time of the [[Rigveda]]. The Kurus here appear as a branch of the early Indo-Aryans, ruling the [[Ganga-Yamuna Doab]] and modern Haryana. The focus in the later Vedic period shifted out of [[Punjab]], into the Haryana and the Doab, and thus to the Kuru clan.<ref>{{cite book |author=Steven G. Darian |year=2001 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120817579 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0obUy_W9NREC&pg=PA63 |page=63 |title=The Ganges In Myth And History}}</ref>

The time frame and geographical extent of the Kuru kingdom (as determined by [[philology|philological study]] of the Vedic literature) suggest its correspondence with the archaeological [[Painted Grey Ware culture]].{{sfn|Samuel|2010}} The shift out of Punjab corresponds to the increasing number and size of [[Painted Grey Ware]] (PGW) settlements in the Haryana and Doab areas. Another PGW site is found in Katha village of [[Bagpat district]], which was once a fort of King Ror.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjduAAAAMAAJ&q=Katha+Raja+Ror |title= Settlements in the Yamuna-Hindon Doab An Archaeological Perspective |author=Rewant Vikram Singh |page=65 |date=2008-09-03 |publisher= B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn= 978-81-7646-358-4 |accessdate=2024-05-08 }}</ref> 

Although most PGW sites were small farming villages, several PGW sites emerged as relatively large settlements that can be characterized as towns; the largest of these were fortified by ditches or moats and embankments made of piled earth with wooden palisades, albeit smaller and simpler than the elaborate fortifications which emerged in large cities after 600 BCE.<ref>James Heitzman, [https://archive.org/details/cityinsouthasia0000heit ''The City in South Asia''] (Routledge, 2008), pp.12–13</ref>
[[File:Mahajanapadas (c. 500 BCE).png|thumb|Kuru and other Mahajanapadas in Post Vedic period]]

The [[Atharvaveda]] (XX.127) praises [[Parikshit]], the "King of the Kurus", as the great king of a thriving, prosperous realm. Other late Vedic texts, such as the [[Shatapatha Brahmana]], commemorate Parikshit's son [[Janamejaya]] as a great conqueror who performed the [[ashvamedha]] (horse-sacrifice).<ref>Raychaudhuri, H. C. (1972). ''Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty'', Calcutta:University of Calcutta, pp.11–46</ref> These two Kuru kings played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state and the development of the [[srauta]] rituals, and they also appear as important figures in later legends and traditions (e.g., in the [[Mahabharata]]).{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}

===Decline===
[[Image:Ancient india.png|thumb|The later Kuru state in the [[Mahajanapada]] period, c. 600 BCE]]

The Kurus declined after being defeated by the non-Vedic [[Salva (India)|Salva (or Salvi) tribe]], and the centre of Vedic culture shifted east, into the [[Panchala|Panchala Kingdom]], in modern day [[Uttar Pradesh]] (whose king [[Keśin Dālbhya]] was the nephew of the late Kuru king).{{sfn|Witzel|1995}} According to post-Vedic Sanskrit literature, the capital of the Kurus was later transferred to [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]], in the lower Doab, after Hastinapur was destroyed by floods{{sfn|Pletcher|2010|p=63}} as well as because of upheavals in the Kuru family itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kaushambhi.nic.in/|publisher=District Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh, India|title=About the District |website=kaushambhi.nic.in |access-date=2016-05-08|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513183352/http://kaushambhi.nic.in/|archive-date=13 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.all-art.org/Visual_History/01india1.htm |title=History of Art: Visual History of the World|website=www.all-art.org|access-date=2016-05-08}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|The flooding of Hastinapura and the transfer of the capital to Kaushambi is only mentioned in semi-legendary accounts dating to the post-Vedic era, e.g., [[Puranas]] and [[Mahabharata]], whereas Vedic-era texts only mention the invasion of Kurukshetra by the Salva tribe as the cause for the decline of the Kurus.{{sfn|Witzel|1990|p={{page needed|date=July 2021}}}}}}

In the post-Vedic period (by the 6th century BCE), the Kuru dynasty evolved into Kuru and [[Vatsa|Vatsa Kingdom]], ruling over Upper Doab/Delhi/Haryana and lower Doab, respectively. The Vatsa branch of the Kuru dynasty was further divided into branches at Kaushambi and at [[Mathura]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://upgov.nic.in/uphistory.aspx |title=Political History of Uttar Pradesh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512013514/http://upgov.nic.in/uphistory.aspx |archive-date=12 May 2012 |url-status=dead |website=Govt of Uttar Pradesh, official website}}</ref>

According to Buddhist sources, by the late and post-Vedic periods, Kuru had become a minor state ruled by a chieftain called Koravya and belonging to the {{transl|pi|Yuddhiṭṭhila}} ({{transl|sa|Yudhiṣṭhira}}) [[gotra|{{transl|pi|gotta}}]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |date= |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url= |location= |publisher=[[Longman|Pearson Education India]] |page=264 |isbn=}}</ref>{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=41}} After the main Kuru ruling dynasty had moved to Kosambi, the Kuru country itself became divided into multiple small state, with the ones at [[Indraprastha|Indapatta]] (Indraprastha) and one at Iṣukāra being the most prominent ones. By the time of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], these small states had been replaced by a Kuru [[Gaṇasaṅgha|{{transl|sa|Gaṇasaṅgha}}]] (republic).{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=133-134}}

==Society ==
[[File:ശ്യേന-ചിതി‌-നിർമ്മാണം.jpg|thumb|Modern performance of [[Agnicayana]], an elaborate [[srauta]] ritual from the Kuru period]]
[[File:Coin of the Kuru Kingdom.jpg|thumb|Silver, ½ Karshapana, [[coinage of India|Indian coin]], “Babyal Hoard” type, of the Kuru Janapada (450 BCE – 315 BCE).<ref name="Goyala1994">{{cite book|author=Śrīrāma Goyala|title=The Coinage of Ancient India |year=1994 |publisher=Kusumanjali Prakashan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5caAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>]]
[[File:Kurus (Kurukshetras) circa 350-315 BCE.jpg|thumb|right|Pre-Mauryan (Ganges Valley) Kurus (Kurukshetras), Silver, ½ Karshapana, [[coinage of India|Indian coin]], “Babyal Hoard” type, c. 350–315&nbsp;BCE. AR 15 Mana – Half Karshapana (15&nbsp;mm, 1.50&nbsp;g). Triskeles-like geometric pattern/aix-armed symbol.<ref>{{cite web |title=INDIA, Pre-Mauryan (Ganges Valley). Kurus (Kurukshetras) |url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=224220 |publisher=CNG Coins}}</ref>]]

=== Farming and craftmanship===
The clans that consolidated into the Kuru Kingdom or 'Kuru Pradesh' were largely semi-nomadic, [[pastoralism|pastoral]] clans. However, as settlement shifted into the western [[Ganges Plain]], settled farming of rice and barley became more important. Vedic literature of this period indicates the growth of surplus production and the emergence of specialized artisans and craftsmen. [[Iron]] was first mentioned as ''śyāma āyasa'' (श्याम आयस, literally "dark metal")<ref>{{cite web | url=https://glosbe.com/en/sa/dark | title=Dark in Sanskrit - English-Sanskrit Dictionary &#124; Glosbe }}</ref> in the [[Atharvaveda]], a text of this era.

===Varna-hierarchy===
An important development was the fourfold [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]] (class) system, which replaced the twofold system of [[Aryan|arya]] and [[dasa]] from the Rigvedic times. 

Archaeological surveys of the [[Kurukshetra District|Kurukshetra district]] have revealed a more complex (albeit not yet fully urbanized) three-tiered hierarchy for the period of the period from 1000 to 600 BCE, suggesting a complex chiefdom or emerging early state, contrasting with the two-tiered settlement pattern (with some "modest central places", suggesting the existence of simple [[chiefdom]]s) in the rest of the Ganges Valley.<ref>Bellah, Robert N. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xHr-uN4XpAgC&pg=PA491 ''Religion in Human Evolution''] (Harvard University Press, 2011), p. 492; citing Erdosy, George. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5kI02_zW70C&pg=PA80 "The prelude to urbanization: ethnicity and the rise of Late Vedic chiefdoms,"] in ''The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States'', ed. F. R. Allchin (Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 75-98</ref> 

In the fourfold varna-system the [[Brahmin]] priesthood and [[Kshatriya]] aristocracy, who dominated the [[Aryan|''Arya'']] commoners (now called [[vaishya]]s) and the [[Dasa|''dasa'']] labourers (now called [[shudra]]s), were designated as separate classes.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}<ref>{{citation |last=Sharma |first=Ram Sharan |author-link=Ram Sharan Sharma |title=Śūdras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order Down to Circa A.D. 600 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gsZkAu-RHVgC |edition=Third |year=1990 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0706-8}}</ref>

===Religion===
The Kuru kingdom decisively changed the religious heritage of the early Vedic period, arranging their ritual hymns into collections called the [[Vedas]], and developing new rituals, that gained their position in Indian culture as the [[Śrauta|Srauta]] rituals.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}} 

The Kuru kingdom transformed the Vedic religion into Brahmanism, which eventually spread over the subcontinent, [[Hinduism#Roots of Hinduism|synthesizing with local traditions]], and together forming [[Hinduism]].{{sfn|Samuel|2010}}{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2002}}

=== Administration ===
Kuru kings ruled with the assistance of a rudimentary administration, including [[purohit]]a (priest), village headman, army chief, food distributor, emissary, herald and spies. They extracted mandatory tribute (''bali'') from their population of commoners as well as from weaker neighbouring tribes. They led frequent raids and conquests against their neighbours, especially to the east and south. To aid in governing, the kings and their Brahmin priests arranged Vedic hymns into collections and developed a new set of rituals (the now orthodox [[Srauta]] rituals) to uphold social order and strengthen the class hierarchy. High-ranking nobles could perform very elaborate sacrifices, and many [[Puja (Hinduism)|''pujas'']] (rituals) primarily exalted the status of the king over his people. The [[ashvamedha|''ashvamedha'']] or horse sacrifice was a way for a powerful king to assert his domination in [[Āryāvarta]].{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}

==== Assembly ====
Kuru had two types of legislative assembly:
*The ''Samiti'' was a common council of the Jana members, and had the power to elect or dethrone the king.
*The ''[[Sabhā]]'' was a smaller assembly of wise elders, who advised the king.{{sfn|Misra|1973|p=12}}

==Mahabharata==
{{main|Mahabharata|Kurukshetra War}}
{{See also|Kauravas|Pandavas}}

===Historical aspects===
The [[Sanskrit epics|epic]] poem, the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', tells of a conflict between two branches of the reigning Kuru clan possibly around 1000 BCE. However, archaeology has not furnished conclusive proof as to whether the specific events described have any historical basis. The existing text of the ''Mahabharata'' went through many layers of development and mostly belongs to the period between c. 400 BCE and 400 CE.<ref>Singh, U. (2009), ''A History of Ancient and Mediaeval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century'', Delhi: Longman, p. 18-21, {{ISBN|978-81-317-1677-9}}</ref> Within the [[frame story]] of the ''Mahabharata'', the historical kings [[Parikshit]] and [[Janamejaya]] are featured significantly as scions of the Kuru clan.{{sfn|Witzel|1995}}

A historical Kuru King named Dhritarashtra Vaichitravirya is mentioned in the [[Kathaka]] Samhita of the [[Yajurveda]] ({{circa}} 1200–900 BCE) as a descendant of the [[Rigveda|Rigvedic]]-era king [[Sudas]]. His cattle were reportedly destroyed as a result of conflict with the [[Yoga#Vedic period (1700–500 BCE)|vratya]] ascetics; however, this Vedic mention does not provide corroboration for the accuracy of the Mahabharata's account of his reign.{{sfn|Witzel|1995|p=17 footnote 115}}{{sfn|Witzel|1990|p=9}}

=== Kuru family tree ===
{{Kuru family tree}}

=== List of rulers ===
{{main|List of Kuru kings}}

== See also ==
; Kuru related
* [[Characters in the Mahabharata#Kuru|King Kuru]]
* [[Uttara Kurus|Uttara Kuru Kingdom]]
* [[Kurukshetra War]]
* [[List of Kuru kings]]
* [[Bharatas (Vedic tribe)]]

; Other Mahabharta related
* [[Kauravas]], [[Pandavas]]
* [[Parikshit]], [[Janamejaya]]
* [[Assandh]], [[Hastinapur]], [[Indraprastha]]
* [[Historicity of the Mahabharata]]
* [[Panchala]], [[Videha]], [[Magadha]], [[Nishada Kingdom|Nishada]], [[Kosala]]

; Modern archaeology of the Vedic era
* [[Cemetery H culture]]
* [[Painted Grey Ware culture]]
* [[Black and red ware]]
* [[Ochre Coloured Pottery culture]]

; Present day regions
* [[Administrative divisions of Haryana|Regions of Haryana]]
* [[:Category:Regions of Rajasthan|Regions of Rajasthan]]
* [[Administrative divisions of Uttar Pradesh|Regions of Uttar Pradesh]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last =Hiltebeitel | first =Alf | year =2002 | title =Hinduism. In: Joseph Kitagawa, "The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture" | publisher =Routledge | isbn =9781136875977 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=kfyzAAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Citation | last =Pletcher | first =Kenneth | year =2010 | title =The History of India | publisher =The Rosen Publishing Group | isbn =9781615301225 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=VsujRFvaHI8C&q=Kuru+Kaushambi&pg=PA63}}
*{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |date=1953 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty |url= |location= |publisher=[[University of Calcutta]] |isbn=}}
* {{Citation | last =Samuel | first =Geoffrey | year =2010 | title =The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century | publisher =Cambridge University Press}}
* {{citation |last=Witzel |first=Michael |year=1990 |title=On Indian Historical Writing |journal=Journal of the Japanese Association for South Asian Studies |volume=2 |pages=1–57 |url=http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/vamsa.pdf}}
* {{Citation|last=Witzel |first=Michael |year=1995 |title=Early Sanskritization: Origin and Development of the Kuru state |journal=EJVS |volume=1 |issue=4 |url=http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0104/ejvs0104article.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611142934/http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0104/ejvs0104article.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2007 }}
* {{cite book |first=Sudama |last=Misra |url=http://dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/131690 |title=Janapada state in ancient India |publisher=Bhāratīya Vidyā Prakāśana |location=Vārāṇasī |year=1973 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817151315/http://dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/131690 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.gloriousindia.com/history/kuru_kingdom.html Kuru Kingdom]
*[http://sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm ''Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa''], translated to English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
*[http://www.karava.org The Kuru race in Sri Lanka –  Web site of Kshatriya Maha Sabha]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050728143952/http://home.comcast.net/~pankajtandon/galleries-kuru.html Coins of Kuru janapada]

{{Mahajanapada}}
{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}
{{Mahabharata}}
{{Historical regions of North India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuru Kingdom}}
[[Category:Kuru kingdom| ]]
[[Category:History of Haryana]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Iron Age countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Iron Age cultures of South Asia]]
[[Category:Locations in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:Regions of Haryana]]
[[Category:Regions of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Regions of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Regions of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Former kingdoms]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of the Puru clan]]
[[Category:Bharatas]]
[[Category:Tribal confederacies]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of the Vedic period]]