Pandu (Sanskrit: पाण्डु, romanized: Pāṇḍu, lit. 'pale') is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the king of the Kuru kingdom, with capital at Hastinapur. He was the acknowledged-father of the five Pandavas, who are the central characters of the epic.
Pandu was born pale, to Vichitravirya's second wife, Ambalika. Pandu married Kunti and Madri. Following sage Kindama's curse, his sons were born through the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities, owing to his inability to bear children.