Ghatotkacha is a character in the Mahabharata which is one
of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.
Ghatotkacha is the son of Bhima and the giantess Hidimbi
(sister of Hidimba). His maternal parentage made him half-rakshasa and gave him
many magical powers such as the ability to fly that made him an important
fighter in the Kurukshetra war, the climax of the epic. He got his name from
his head, which was hairless and shaped like a ghatam.
When he was young, Ghatotkacha lived with his mother,
Hidimbi. One day he received a pearl which he gave to his cousin Abhimanyu.
Ghatotkacha is considered to be a loyal and humble figure.
He made himself and his followers available to his father Bhima at any time.
All Bhima had to do was to think of him and he would appear. Like his father,
Ghatotkacha primarily fought with the mace.
His wife was Ahilawati and his sons were Barbarika and
Meghvarna.
In the Mahābhārata, Ghatotkacha was summoned by Bhima to
fight on the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra battle. Invoking his magical
powers, he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular after the
death of Jayadratha, when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were
at their most effective (at night). Ghatotkach had received the ultimate boon
from Krishna that nobody in all the worlds could match his magical
capabilities, except Krishna himself.
At this point in the battle, the Kaurava leader Duryodhana
appealed to his best fighter, Karna, to kill Ghatotkacha as the whole Kaurava
army was coming close to annihilation due to his ceaseless strikes from the
air. Karna possessed a divine weapon called Indrastra(Naikartana), granted by
the god Indra. It could be used only once, and Karna had been saving it to use
on his arch-enemy, the best Pandava fighter, Arjuna.
Unable to refuse Duryodhana, Karna used the
Indrastra(Naikartana) against Ghatotkacha, killing him.[2] This is considered
to be the turning point of the war. After his death, the Pandava counselor
Krishna smiled, as he considered the war to have been won for the Pandavas now
that Karna no longer had a divine weapon to use in fighting Arjuna.
There is a temple built in Manali, Himachal Pradesh for
Ghatotkacha near Hidimba Devi Temple.
Uncharacteristically, the battle extended
into the hours of darkness. Ghatotkacha, the half-asura son of Bhima, began to
destroy the Kaurava forces. It was a characteristic of the asuras that they
became extraordinarily powerful at night. Duryodhana and Karna bravely stood
and fought him. Finally, when it seemed that Ghatotkacha would destroy all the
Kaurava forces that very night, having already badly-wounded Dronacharya,
Duryodhana called upon Karna to use all means necessary. Karna engaged him in a
ferocious duel, with every single warrior from both sides watching in silent
awe. As Ghatotkacha began to use his skills of dark magic, Karna had to use the
Vasava Shakti, which had been gifted to him by Lord Indra in return for his
divine armour. Using this weapon, Karna killed the Asura Ghatotkacha.
Although his death was a major
disappointment to the Pandavas, there was a serene smile on Krishna's face.
Krishna knew that, because Karna had now expended this fearsome weapon, Arjuna
was no longer vulnerable to it.
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