The Kurus are deeply associated with the great Indian epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is based on the rivalry within the Kuru dynasty -the Pandavas and the Kauravas The Kuru clan of kings was the ruler of the Kuru kingdom with their capital located at Hastinapur, between the holy bank of river Saraswati and river Yamuna .

Kuru was the son of Samvarana (descendant of the Pururavas Aila ) and Tapati ,daughter of Surya. Kuru was extremely virtuous and laid the foundation of the Kuru dynasty and the Kuru Kingdom. Kuru`s wife Vahini gave birth to five sons -Avikshit, Bhavishyanta, Chaitraratha, Muni and Janamejaya-The sons of Janamejaya were Dhritarashtra, Pandu, Valhika, Nishadha, Jamvunada, Kundodara and Padati. Vasati the eighth.Dhritarastra became the king and had eight sons .Three of his grandsons were very famous they were Pratipa ,Dharmanetra and Sunetra . Pratipa had three sons namely, Devapi, Santanu, and the mighty car-warrior Valhika.

The kingdom went to Shantanu.( It is worth mentioning here that Dhritarashtra who was the father of Duryodhana and Pandu who was the father of Pandavas was Pandu )

Santanu married Ganga who gave birth to a son Devavrata who was afterwards called Bhishma .Santanu again married Satyavati .Santanu had two other sons named Chitrangada and Vicitravirya .Vichitravirya became the king and married two daughters of the king of Kasi ,named Amvika and Amvalika. Parasara who was also the son of Satyavati also called Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa .On the request of his mother he begat three sons Dhritarastra ,Pandu and Vidura upon the widows of Vichitravirya. King Dhritarastra married Gandhari who gave birth to hundred sons .Out of this hundred sons Duryodhana ,Dushasana ,Vikarna and Chitrasena were the most celebrated ones . Pandu had two wives, viz., Kunti, also called Pritha, and Madri. Kunti raised up offspring upon the wishes of Pandu, by Dharma she had Yudhishthira; by Maruta, Bhima: and by Sakra, Arjuna. On Madri were raised by the twin Aswins, the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.

These five became well known as the Pandavas. Pandu and Madri died. After some time those five Pandavas were taken by the ascetics of the woods to Hastinapura. Duryodhana was exceedingly jealous of his cousins and every time conspired against them ,to murder them. Pandavas escaped all the murder attempts designed by Duryodhana and married Draupadi the Panchala princess.

The epic Mahabharata is the tale of rivalry of the Kurus -Pandavas and the Kauravas .The famous Kurukshetra war is fought between these two factions of the royal family which was won by the Pandavas on the assistance of Lord Krishna .Yudhisthira became the King of Hastinapur.