page_title: Janamejaya
hierarchical_section_title: Janamejaya
caption_attribution_description: English: Story-telling painting, in gouache, of the 'Paithan' type, illustrating a narrative from the Mahabharata. The sage Vyasa and the king Janamejaya. With a background of a pillared hall, the sage Vyasa, seen here on the right, narrates the story of Harishchandra to king Janamejaya. Both characters are seated facing each other on decorated thrones, with one knee resting on the seat and the other flexed, bound by a yogapatta. This detail signifies that they are steeped in a serious conversation. The king carries the appurtenances of his status: a crown on his head, bow leaning on his shoulder, arrow in his right hand, and a filled quiver resting at his side. The sage is elegantly dressed and bejewelled, with matted hair, knotted beard and a yajnopavita prominently shown across his chest (incidentally, the wrong way round: it hangs from the right shoulder instead of hanging from the left). Between Janamejaya and Vyasa stands a third person, with matter hair and dressed in a loincloth, possibly a disciple of the sage, carrying a fan and an umbrella, appurtenances of both gods and kings. A monkey is shown frolicking at his feet.
context_page_description: Janamejaya was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period. Along with his father and predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural part of northern India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.
context_section_description: Janamejaya (Sanskrit: जनमेजय) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th-9th centuries BCE). Along with his father and predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural part of northern India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.
caption: The sage Vyasa and King Janamejaya
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