Shikhandi

Shikhandi (Sanskrit: शिखण्डी, romanized: Śikhaṇḍī), whose natal female identity is rendered Shikhandini, is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandini becomes male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a yaksha. He is the brother of Draupadi, who is the common wife of the Pandavas. Shikhandi is the reincarnation of Amba, a princess who was abducted by Bhishma at a svayamvara and later spurned by him. The prince fights in the Kurukshetra War on the side of his brothers-in-law, the Pandavas, and is instrumental in causing the death of Bhishma. He also engages in combat with great warriors like Ashwatthama, Kripa, and Kritavarma. In Javanese wayang tradition, Shikhandi is known as Srikandi and is born as a male, and changes into a female. She becomes the second wife of the Pandava brother Arjuna, and Sembadra being the first.