'Daughter of Drupada'), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali, and Yajnaseni, is the main female protagonist of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, and the wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.

[2] In the Mahabharata, Draupadi and her twin brother, Dhrishtadyumna, were born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala.

[3] A notable incident in Draupadi's life is the game of dice at Hastinapura where Yudhishthira lost all his possessions, and she was humiliated by the Kaurava brothers and Karna.

[5][failed verification] She is extolled as one of the panchakanya (five virgins), archetypes of female chastity whose names are believed to dispel sin when recited.

The news of Draupadi's svayamvara spread far and wide, and numerous princes, as well as the general public including brahmanas, began proceeding towards Panchala.

Some renditions show Draupadi refusing to marry Karna on account of being a Suta, while some other versions describe him failing to string the bow by the "breadth of a hair".

[33] Ashwatthama killed the Upapandavas during his surprise raid on Pandava camp on the eighteenth day of the war to avenge the death of his father Drona.

When he stepped on the apparently solid part of the courtyard, there was a splash and Duryodhana found himself waist-deep in water, drenched from head to foot by the hidden pool.

It gained immense popularity gradually through repeated depictions in various screen and written adaptations of the epic across the length and breadth of the country.

Chopra's Mahabharata series that aired on Doordarshan in 1988 and famous Telugu film Daana Veera Soora Karna starring Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao as Duryodhana, where Draupadi's laughter was singled out for dramatic effect.

Later on, he went back to Hastinapura and expressed his immense agony on witnessing the riches of the Pandavas to his blind father, which was the root cause for inviting his cousins for the dice-game.

Known to few, during this conversation, Duryodhan mentions how he had observed Draupadi serving food to everyone, including physically challenged citizens as the Empress.

"[40] He then went on to express his wrath at having fallen into a pool of water and being laughed at mockingly, mainly by Bhima, followed by Arjun, Nakul, Sahadeva and other menials in the palace.

Together with his maternal uncle Shakuni, Duryodhana conspired to call on the Pandavas to Hastinapura and win their kingdoms in a game of gambling.

Now in an emotional appeal to the elders present in the forum, Draupadi repeatedly questions the legality of the right of Yudhishthira to place her at stake.

[45] Karna calls Draupadi a "whore" for being the wedded wife of five men, adding that her being to the court is not a surprising act whether she is clothed or naked.

At this point, a furious Bhima vows to drink blood from Dushasana's chest, at the pain of not seeing his ancestors entering heaven.

Karna further orders Dushasana to take Draupadi to the servants' quarters and derisively asks her to choose another husband who unlike Yudhishthira would not gamble her away.

[50] Amused by the sudden turn of events, Karna remarks that they "have never heard of such an act, performed by any of the women noted in this world for their beauty."

At this time Jayadratha, the son of Vriddhakshatra and the husband of Duryodhana's sister Dussala, passed through Kamyaka forest on the way to Salva Desa.

Draupadi pointed out the immorality of deserting one's spouses when they were in difficulty and attempted to stall and dissuade Jayadratha by describing how the Pandavas would punish him.

In some versions of the story, Yudhishthira asks Draupadi to pass the sentence since it was she who was attacked, and she begrudgingly counsels to spare him because of the relations they share.

Alf Hiltebeitel in his acclaimed research work, "The Cult of Draupadi" explores the source of this myth as he travels through the rural areas of India.

He discovers that the first literary mention of the blood-washing theme appeared in "Venisamhara"[57] or "Braiding The Hair (of Draupadi)", a Sanskrit play written in the Pallava period by eminent playwright Bhatta Narayana.

Ashwathama, in order to avenge his father's as well as other Kuru warriors' deceitful killing by the Pandavas, attacks their camp at night with Kripacharya and Kritavarma.

Not endowed with the knowledge to do so, Ashwatthama instead redirects the weapon to Uttara's womb, but Krishna protects the Pandavas' only heir with his Sudarshana Chakra.

Due to the power of meditation, her wrath is subdued and she speaks of Ashwathama, son of their preceptor Drona, "I desired to only pay off our debt for the injury we have sustained.

[71] At the ancient religious festival of Bengaluru Pete named Bangalore Karaga, Draupadi is worshipped as an incarnation of Adishakti and Parvati in the nine-day event.

[72]There are over 400 temples dedicated to Draupadi in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Réunion, South Africa.

[83] Karaga is a folk festival of Karnataka which originated as a ritual in Southern India dedicated to Draupadi as known in these parts as Droupadamma.