Gandhari
/ɡənˈdɑːri/noun
Gandhari is a queen and major character in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, traditionally portrayed as the wife of Dhritarashtra and mother of the Kauravas.
Did you know?In the Mahabharata, Gandhari’s blindfold is traditionally interpreted as an act of solidarity with her blind husband, though later readings also treat it as a powerful symbol of self-imposed blindness to political injustice.
Etymological Timeline
Late 2nd–early 1st millennium BCE
Old Persian
Gandāra
“The name of the northwestern South Asian region later known as Gandhara; the ultimate origin of the name is uncertain.”
6th–5th century BCE
Achaemenid Persian
Gandāra
“A province or subject territory listed in Achaemenid royal inscriptions.”
5th–4th century BCE
Ancient Greek
Gandára / Gandaridae
“Greek forms referring to Gandhara and its people.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Gāndhārī
“A feminine form meaning ‘woman of Gandhara’ or ‘belonging to Gandhara.’”
c. 1st millennium CE
Sanskrit epic tradition
Gāndhārī
“The name of the Kuru queen in the Mahabharata, famed for wearing a blindfold and bearing one hundred sons.”
Modern English
English
Gandhari
“The conventional English transliteration of the epic queen’s name; it is also used for the historical Gandhari language and people of Gandhara.”