As per the
Hindu epic Mahabharata,
Jarasandha was the king of
Magadha. He was a descendant of the king
Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. He was also a great devotee of the Hindu god
Shiva. He was a great
senapati and a
Maharathi. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the
Yadava clan in the
Mahabharata.