The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family the Pandavas and Kauravas. Both of the two dynasty met at Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or living, and philosophical discourses. Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic, composed it; as, according to tradition. The events in the epic play out in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas. Including within it the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata is one of the most important texts of ancient Indian, indeed world, literature.