Madra is a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It was located in the northwestern region of ancient India, in what is now modern-day Punjab, Pakistan.
The king of Madra was Shalya, who was the maternal uncle of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a skilled charioteer and a great warrior who participated in the Kurukshetra war on the side of the Kauravas.
Shalya was also the father of Madri, the second wife of Pandu, the father of the Pandavas. After Pandu’s death, Madri immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, along with Kunti, the first wife of Pandu.
Madra also played a role in the story of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, one of the Pandavas. When Abhimanyu was born, Shalya’s daughter, Madri, had performed his birth ceremony. Later, Abhimanyu was killed in the Kurukshetra war while fighting against the Kauravas.