Kuru (Hindu mythology) in the context of "Kauravas"

The Kuru Kingdom was a Vedic Indo-Aryan tribal union in northern India of the Bharata and Puru tribes. The Kuru kingdom appeared in the Middle Vedic period (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE) during the Iron age of India, encompassing parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Delhi, and some North parts of Western Uttar Pradesh. The Kuru Kingdom was the first recorded state-level society in the Indian subcontinent.

The Kuru kingdom became a dominant political and cultural force in the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of Parikshit and Janamejaya, but declined in importance during the late Vedic period (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE) and had become "something of a backwater" by the Mahajanapada period in the 5th century BCE. However, traditions and legends about the Kurus continued into the post-Vedic period, providing the basis for the Mahabharata epic.