Bhagadatta

Bhagadatta (Sanskrit: भगदत्त) is a character in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. was the son of Naraka, the king of Pragjyotisha in Hindu History. Bhagadatta was born from a limb of the asura called Bashkala. He was a renowned warrior, and was known to be a great friend of Indra. When Arjuna embarked on a conquest to help his brother Yudhishthira perform the rajasuya yajna, Bhagadatta was one of the first kings to be conquered by him. The Mahabharata also links Bhagadatta with the Yavanas. One passage of the Sabha Parva describes him as the mighty ruler of the mlecchas who came with the Yavanas (yavanaiḥ sahitaḥ), while another, in K. M. Ganguli's translation, refers to him as "that king of the Yavanas ... who is called Bhagadatta". The word Yavana is generally understood to derive from Ionian and in early Indian usage commonly denoted Greeks. He was particularly skilled in the use of elephants in warfare. Riding on his elephant Supratika, he fought for the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War. He was succeeded by his son Vajradatta. He was the leader of the army of Kiratas and Chinas in the war.