In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Gandhari was the wife of King Dhritarashtra, who was blind. Gandhari was a devoted wife who wanted to share in her husband’s fate of being childless. She undertook a severe penance to please Lord Shiva and received a boon to have a hundred sons.
However, when it was time for Gandhari to give birth, she faced a difficult dilemma. She had been pregnant for two years, but her pregnancy showed no signs of ending. Worried and frustrated, Gandhari decided to take matters into her own hands. She divided her womb into a hundred parts and placed each part in a separate jar filled with ghee (clarified butter). She then prayed to the gods to bless each of the jars so that her sons would be born healthy and strong.
After the jars had been kept for two years, a warrior named Vyasa arrived at the palace and opened each jar. From each jar, a fully grown and powerful son was born. Thus, Gandhari gave birth to a hundred sons, who came to be known as the Kauravas, and who played a significant role in the Mahabharata story.