Virata is the monarch
who shelters the five Pandava brothers, the epic's heroes, during the year they
spend incognito after their twelve years of exile in the forest, in the
Mahabharata, the later of the two major Hindu epics.
This year is crucial because, according to the pact the
Pandavas made with their foe, Duryodhana, if they are found during this year,
the cycle of exile and living in secrecy would begin all over again.
Even though Duryodhana has dispatched armies of spies to
locate the Pandavas, Virata's care and forethought prevents them from being
detected.
He continues to help the Pandavas throughout the Mahabharata
battle and is finally murdered by the archery expert Drona.
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