In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, Ashwatthama or Drauni was the son of guru Drona and Kripi . He was the grandson of the sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama ruled the northern region of Panchala, being subordinate to the rulers of Hastinapura. He was a Maharathi[1] who fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. He became a Chiranjivi due to a curse given to him by Krishna.[2][3]