| Virata | |
|---|---|
 A lithograph of Virata in his court by Ravi Varma Press, 1920 | |
| Information | |
| Family | Shatanika, Vishalaksha Suryadatta (brothers) |
| Spouse | Sudeshna |
| Children | Shankha, Uttara (sons) and Uttarā (daughter) |
Virata (Sanskrit: विराट, IAST virāṭa) was the king of the Matsya Kingdom, in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. Virata was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Princess Uttarā, who married Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. Abhimanyu and Uttara's son Parikshit succeeded Yudhishthira on the throne of Hastinapura, after the war of Mahabharata. He is the titular character of the Virata Parva, the fourth book of the epic Mahabharata [1]
- ^ Dowson, John (1888). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature. Trubner & Co., London. p. 1.