Drupada

Drupada (Sanskrit: द्रुपद, lit. firm-footed or pillar), also known as Yajnasena (Sanskrit: यज्ञसेन, lit. father of Draupadi), was the son of King Prishata and was the Panchala king. His capital was known as Kampilya.

Conflict with Drona

Drupada, son of King Prishata, and Drona study together under the tutelage of Rishi Bhardwaja, Drona's father. They become great friends and Drupada assures Drona that once he becomes king, he will share half of his kingdom with him. While Drupada becomes a king after the death of his father, Drona lives a life of poverty. Drona approaches Drupada for help; Drupada, now conscious of the difference of status between them, refuses to acknowledge Drona's friendship and shuns Drona, calling him a beggar. Drona is later employed by Bhishma to train the Kuru princes. After the military education of the Kauravas and the Pandavas ends, as his gurudakshina, Drona asks the princes to defeat and capture Drupada. Firstly, all the Kauravas, attack Drupada, but Drupada defeats all the Kauravas . Then the Pandavas led by Arjuna defeat Drupada, binding him in ropes and bringing him to Drona. Drona sets Drupada free, but retains half of the kingdom that had been promised to him. Humiliated, Drupada seeks vengeance but he realizes that he cannot match Drona's might. So, Drupada performed an Yagna to beget a son who could slay Drona. From the fire of the Yagna, twins Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi are born. Years later, Draupadi married Arjuna and later in the Mahabharata war, Dhrishtadyumna beheaded Drona.

Draupadi Svayamvara

King Drupada arranges a svayamvara for his daughter Draupadi. To win Draupadi's hand, the king's invitees, all of them royalty themselves, have to string an enormous bow and shoot five arrows simultaneously through a revolving ring onto the eye of a revolving fish. All the kings including Shalya fail to even string the bow. The five sons of the late King Pandu of Hastinapur are present at the Svayamvara, dressed as Brahmins. Arjuna succeeds in the event and Draupadi accepts him as her husband, with Drupada somewhat reluctantly giving his permission. When Draupadi is taken back to Kunti, they decide to play a prank on her by announcing that they had brought some alms. Kunti asks her sons to share whatever had been brought. The imperative of acting on their mother's words and the propriety of marriage to five husbands is discussed at Drupada's palace, with Drupada and Dhristadyumna fiercely opposed to Draupadi marrying anyone other than Arjuna. However, Sage Vyasa supports Kunti's proposal and sanctions the marriage, assuaging Drupada's fears.

Family

Drupada had 11 sons: Satyajit, Dhristadyumna, Shikhandi (or Shikhandini), Uttamaujas, Yudhamanyu, Kumar, Vrika, Panchalya, Suratha, Shatrunjaya, and Janamejaya and one daughter - Draupadi.  Satyajit's son eventually ascends to Panchal's throne having escaped the Kurukshetra War. Shikhandi was born as a daughter, but later obtained manhood. He was in his previous life Amba, and was instrumental in the death of Bhishma. and and Yudhamanyu protected Arjuna's chariot wheels throughout the war. Dhrishtadyumna, Shikandi, Yudhamanyu, and Uttamaujas were killed by Ashwatthama in the night of the last day of the 18-day war.

Role in Kurukshetra war

Drupada fights on the side of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. Bhishma names him a maharathi. He along with Virata fought and are killed by Drona on the 15th day of the war.

On 12th day of  war

Then royal Drupada advanced against Drona at the head of a mighty division. The encounter between those two old men at the heads of their respective forces became terrible like that between two mighty leaders, with rent temples, of two elephantine herds.