Nishadha was an ancient kingdom of Bharatavarsha. The Mahābhārata names it as the realm of Nala, the son of Vīrasena, who is the hero of the Nala-Damayantī Upākhyāna. Nala ruled it in good order and dharma until it was lost in a dice game. The game was set up by his brother Pushkara under the influence of the asura Kali. After Nala came back and won, Nishadha was restored to his rule. The Mahābhārata also names the kingdom elsewhere in its lists of kingdoms.

Nishadha under Nala

Under Nala, Nishadha was a well-governed kingdom, known for the excellence of its king. Nala was handsome, skilled with horses and firm in dharma, and he knew the Aśvahṛdaya. The kingdom was the setting for the happy early years of Nala and Damayantī’s marriage, before Kali entered and the dice game changed their lives.

When Nala lost the dice game, Nishadha passed into Pushkara’s hands. When Nala returned and beat Pushkara at dice with the Akshahṛdaya, Nishadha was restored to him.

Source: Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 52–79.

Where it lay

The text does not fix the place of Nishadha by modern geography. Various Purāṇic traditions link the kingdom of Nishadha with central or north-central India. It is a different thing from the Nishadha mountain and from the Nishādas, a tribal people, who are named elsewhere in the epics.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 52–79