🦚 Mythology
The Wives of Lord Krishna: The Ashtabharya and the 16,100
Krishna is traditionally described as having eight principal queens, the Ashtabharya, and many more wives besides. This guide explains who they were.
Hindu tradition, drawing mainly on the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana, describes Lord Krishna as having eight principal queens, known collectively as the Ashtabharya, along with many thousands more wives whom he married to give them status and protection. The often-quoted total is 16,108: the eight chief queens plus 16,100 women freed from captivity.
This differs from Krishna’s relationship with Radha, who in most traditions is not counted among his wives at all but is revered as his supreme beloved and the embodiment of pure devotion. For the wider set of Krishna narratives, see Stories of Lord Krishna and the Indian mythology guide.
The Ashtabharya: Krishna’s eight principal queens
Rukmini — princess of Vidarbha and Krishna’s chief queen, widely regarded as an incarnation of Lakshmi. Her brother Rukmi had promised her to Shishupala, but Rukmini sent Krishna a message asking him to take her away, and he did so on the eve of the wedding. She is the mother of Pradyumna.
Satyabhama — daughter of Satrajit of Dwarka. Her marriage is tied to the story of the Syamantaka jewel, which Satrajit first suspected Krishna of stealing and then gave, with his daughter, in apology. Satyabhama is portrayed as proud and strong-willed, and features in the story of Krishna bringing the Parijata tree from Indra’s heaven at her request. She fights alongside Krishna against the demon Narakasura.
Jambavati — daughter of Jambavan, the bear king of the Ramayana. Krishna followed the trail of the missing Syamantaka jewel into Jambavan’s cave, fought him for many days, and was finally recognised; Jambavan then offered both the jewel and his daughter. She is the mother of Samba.
Kalindi — a personification of the river Yamuna, whom Krishna met while she performed austerities hoping to marry him.
Mitravinda — a princess of Avanti and Krishna’s cousin, whom he married after a swayamvara (a bride’s choice ceremony).
Nagnajiti (also called Satya) — princess of Kosala. Her father set the condition that a suitor must subdue seven fierce bulls; Krishna did so and won her hand.
Bhadra — a princess of the Kekaya kingdom and another of Krishna’s cousins, given to him in marriage by her brothers.
Lakshmana (also called Madra) — a princess of Madra, won by Krishna at her swayamvara in a feat of archery, in an episode echoing Arjuna’s winning of Draupadi.
The 16,100 women freed from Narakasura
The demon king Narakasura had imprisoned thousands of women in his fortress at Pragjyotisha. After Krishna, with Satyabhama, defeated him, the freed women asked Krishna to accept them, since society would not otherwise restore their standing. Krishna is said to have married all of them and given each a home and household in Dwarka. The number is given as 16,000 or 16,100 depending on the text. This episode is connected in some regions with the festival of Naraka Chaturdashi, the day before Diwali.
The tradition generally reads this less as a statement about marriage in the ordinary sense and more as a story about Krishna protecting and dignifying people whom the world had abandoned.
Radha and Krishna
Radha belongs to the earlier Vrindavan period of Krishna’s life, before he leaves for Mathura and Dwarka. Most devotional traditions do not describe Radha and Krishna as married; instead, their relationship is held up as the highest image of the soul’s longing for the divine. Some regional traditions do speak of a private marriage, but this is not the mainstream Puranic account.
Frequently asked questions
How many wives did Lord Krishna have?
Tradition describes eight principal queens, the Ashtabharya, and a further 16,100 women freed from Narakasura, for a commonly cited total of 16,108.
Who were Krishna’s eight main wives?
Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti (Satya), Bhadra, and Lakshmana (Madra).
Was Radha one of Krishna’s wives?
In most traditions, no. Radha is revered as Krishna’s supreme beloved and the model of devotion, not as a queen of Dwarka.
Who was Krishna’s first and chief wife?
Rukmini, princess of Vidarbha, regarded as an incarnation of Lakshmi and the foremost of the eight queens.
Why did Krishna marry 16,100 women?
The Bhagavata Purana says they had been imprisoned by Narakasura and would have had no place in society after their release, so Krishna married them to restore their honour and give them a home.