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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 100 The Pandavas Build Indraprastha >>
 |  | Accepting the order, the Pandavas bowed to the king and departed. Taking half the kingdom, those best of men settled in the land of Khandava Prastha. With Krsna in the lead, they reached their new land, and at once the unfailing Pandavas built a beautiful town that resembled the cities of heaven.
| | | They chose a pure and holy stretch of earth, and led by Dvaipayana Vyasa those heroes performed religious rites to bring peace and security to their new land. Then they measured, mapped out, and constructed the city.
| | | The new town was surrounded by moats that resembled the wide sea. The town was enhanced with sparkling white walls that stood so high they seemed to cover the sky like masses of white clouds or snowy peaks. That most opulent city shone like Bhogavati, the wondrous land of the Nagas.
| | | The city was protected by great double-hung doors as frightening to see as the wings of Garuda, and also by towering archways that resembled masses of clouds or a range of Mandara mountains. The city was filled with varieties of deadly lances and missiles that rose up, perfectly guarded, like the bifurcated tongues of snakes. The city shone with rows of turrets guarded by battle-ready soldiers.
| | | The city was splendidly defended with sharp hook weapons that could slay a hundred men each, and it was adorned with trellises crafted with mystic designs. The skyline of that fabulous city glittered with giant metal discs.
| | | A well-designed system of wide roads virtually did away with collisions, and the city sparkled with various styles of elegant white mansions. This city, known as Indraprastha, shone with all the beauty of a celestial abode and seemed to float on the earth like a community of broad clouds filled with streaks of lightning.
| | | There in that charming, innocent land, the dwelling of the rightful Kuru leaders was so brilliant with wealth and treasure that it resembled the city of Kuvera, the lord of the cosmic treasury.
| | | Brahmanas who were the greatest Vedic scholars and who spoke all languages began to notice and enjoy that city, and they began to establish their homes there. Enterprising merchants began to move there, coming from all directions, and workers expert in all the fine arts and crafts came there to settle.
| | | All around were parks and gardens lush with fruit- and flower-bearing trees such as palm, mango, jasmine, nipa, sala, asoka, punnaga, lakuca, kadamba, bakula, naga-puspa, and tropical plum. The trees bore enchanting arrays of flowers and bent down under the weight of luscious fruits. There were many full-grown trees, including lodhras, amalakas, patalas, kubjakas, karaviras, rose apples, heavenly parijatas, luxuriant atimuktakas, and magnificent flowering ankolas. The trees were ever in season and always filled with fruits and flowers, and all manner of birds adorned them. Maddened peacocks cried out all around them, the peacocks' songs mixing with the melodies of the cuckoos, who seemed to be ever enchanted.
| | | The houses were so clean they shone like mirrors. There were varieties of garden houses covered with flowering creepers. There was a charming variety of styles in the residential areas, with recreation areas atop the neighborhood hills.
| | | There were varieties of ponds filled with the purest water. There were fabulous lakes perfumed with the scents of blossoming lotuses and moving with the elegant strokes of swans, cakravakas, and fine ducks. There were also variegated lotus-filled ponds, shaded by surrounding woods, and large, wide pools of great charm.
| | | As they dwelled in that great country with their good and honest neighbors, the Pandavas felt ever-increasing pleasure. When Bhisma and King Dhrtarastra brought forth the principles of justice, the Pandavas became residents there in the land of Khandava Prastha. And boasting five great archers equal to Indra in prowess, the most glorious city shone like Bhogavati, the wondrous abode of the Nagas.
| | | Mighty Krsna lived there for some time. Then He took permission from the Pandavas and returned with Balarama to the city of Dvaraka.
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