Lakshagriha (Sanskrit:लाक्षागृहम्,romanized: Lākṣāgṛham),[1] also referred to asJatugriha,[2] or theHouse of Lacquer, is a palace made oflacquer featured in theHindu epicMahabharata.[3] It is the setting of an assassination plot in the epic, devised by the princeDuryodhana to murder his cousins, thePandavas, by planning to immolate them while they slept within the palace.
Dhritarashtra, the ruler of theKuru kingdom, designated his nephew and the eldest son ofPandu,Yudhishthira, as the heir-apparent to the throne. Yudhishthira and his four brothers, called the Pandavas, grew popular among the masses, owing to their great deeds and prowess. Threatened by his cousins' fame and stoked by envy, Dhritarashtra's eldest son, Duryodhana, persuaded his father to allow him to plot against them to retain control over the kingdom.[4]
Gaining the king's consent, Duryodhana instructed the architectPurochana to build a palace using flammable lacquer, and set it aflame on a designated day to assassinate the sleeping Pandavas and their motherKunti.[5] At court, Dhritarashtra encouraged the Pandavas to visit the town of Varanavata and attend its festivities. Yudhishthira suspected the ulterior motives of the king, but found himself unable to refuse his bidding. Before their departure, their uncle, the ministerVidura, cryptically warned Yudhishthira of the plot against their lives in aMleccha language, and a means of escape. Upon their arrival to the town and the inspection of the Lakshagriha, Yudhishthira informed his mother and the brothers of the plot. He observed that the house of lacquer contained the substances of hemp, resin, straw, as well as bamboos, all of which were soaked inghee, making it extremely flammable. Rather than choose to reside elsewhere, which could attract suspicion, Yudhishthira decided to orchestrate a deception for their survival. A skilled miner was dispatched by Vidura to assist the princes in their escape. While the Pandavas hunted, the miner excavated a wide tunnel, originating at the middle of the Lakshagriha and ending along the banks of the riverGanga.[6][7] In the modern times, thePandav Sthan atPanr village ofDalsinghsarai block in theSamastipur district of theMithila region inBihar is believed to be the location where thePandavas came out from the tunnel. It is about 16 kilometres from the north bank of the Ganga river.[8]
After a year had passed, Yudhishthira organised a festival within the palace, inviting the people of the town. Purochana grew inebriated and fell asleep. After the attendees of the festivities had departed, Yudhishthira ordered his brother,Bhima, to set the Lakshagriha aflame, after which they escaped through the tunnel with Kunti. They were ferried to safety by a boatman sent by Vidura.[9] The casualties of this fire were Purochana, and anishada woman and her five sons, who had also fallen unconscious due to their inebriation. The burnt corpses of the nishadas were mistaken by the townsfolk of Varanavata for the Pandavas and Kunti. Following this episode, Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana arranged for the cremation of what they also took for the bodies of their relatives, and Duryodhana was groomed as the new heir to the throne.[10][11]
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