'protector of children', IAST: Śiśupāla; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the king of the Chedi kingdom, and an antagonist in the Mahabharata.

He was slain by Krishna, his cousin and an avatar of Vishnu, at the great coronation ceremony of Yudhishthira, as a punishment for his opprobrious abuse made against him.

[3] When Yudhishthira undertook the Rajasuya Yajna, he sent Bhima to obtain the fealty of Shishupala, now king after his father's death.

This angered Shishupala and he started insulting Krishna, calling him a mere cowherd and worthless to be honoured as a king.

The Shishupala Vadha is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry (kāvya) composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century.

Like other kavyas, it is admired more for its exquisite descriptions and lyrical quality than for any dramatic development of the plot[citation needed].