Unlike the Pandava army, the Kaurava army didn’t have graded ranks. Also, the Kaurava army was less mobile because each rank of a unit of army consisted of way more soldiers. The Kauravas had 18+ Akshaunis, which they divided into 11 huge Vahinis.
Kaurava Army Layout
- 1 Akshauni from Kuru-Bahlika from Bhurishravas
- Joined the Kauravas because Bhurishravas and his family were descended from Bahlika, the brother of Shantanu
- 1 Akshauni from Gandhara from Shakuni
- Joined the Kaurava side because Shakuni’s sister was Gandhari (the mother of the Kauravas) and because Bahlikas joined the Kauravas
- 1 Akshauni from Madra from Shalya
- Forced to join Kaurava side because Duryodhana tricked Shalya
- 1 Akshauni from Kamboja and Yavanas/Sakas from Sudakshina
- Joined the Kauravas because the Bahlika kingdom joined the Kauravas
- 1 Akshauni from Mahishmati from Nila Duryodhana
- Joined the Kaurava side because Nila Duryodhana had been defeated by Sahadeva in his military campaign, so he wanted revenge on Sahadeva due to his arrogance
- 1 Akshauni from Pragjyotisha Empire/China from Bhagdatta
- Joined the Kauravas because of relationships with the Kaurava clan
- 1 Akshauni from Kalinga
- Joined the Kauravas because over the years, Yudhsitira had defeated and punished them for their adharmika deeds, so they wanted revenge
- 10,000 Elephants from Nishada
- Joined the Kauravas because of their enmity with Kuntibhoja and the Karushas
- Narayani Sena
- Joined the Kaurava side because Duryodhana chose them over Krishna, who was chosen by Arjuna
- 1 Akshauni from Bhojas/Kukuras under Kritavarma
- Joined the Kaurava side because of relationships with the Kaurava clan
- 100,000 Fire-Oath Sampshapatakas/Mercenaries
- Joined the Kaurava side because they had take an oath to kill Arjuna or die
- 1 Rakshasa Akshauni from Alambusha
- Joined the Kauravas because Danavas prefered the Kauravas
- 1 Rakshasa Akshauni from Alayudha
- Joined the Kauravas because Danavas prefered the Kauravas
- 1 Akshauni from Sindhu-Sauvira/Abhira/Sudra from Jayadratha
- Joined the Kauravas because he was married to Dushala, the sister of the hundred Kauravas
- 2 Akshaunis from Avanti from Vinda & Anuvinda
- Joined the Kaurava side because of their enmity with Krishna
- 3 Other Miscellaneous Akshaunis
- 1 Akshauni from Kekaya from the Vind and Anuvind
- 1 Akshauni from Anga from Karna
- Joined Kaurava side because Karna was Duryodhana’s best friend and Karna was ruling as a vassal to Hastinapura
- Elephant Forces from Vanga
- Joined the Kauravas because over the years, Yudhistira had defeated and punished them for their adharmika deeds, so they wanted revenge
- 10,000 Cavalry from Ayodhya
All these armies add up to around 18+ Akshaunis. The Kauravas divided these Akshaunis into 11 huge Vahinis, consisting of around 550,000 soldiers. Also, not all the Akshaunis were front-line. Some were kept as reserve Akshaunis armies.
Commanding all of them was the Commander-in-Chief. On the first through tenth days, the Commander-in-Chief was Bhishma. The Commander-in-Chief on the 11th-15th days was Dronacharya, but he was killed by Dhristadyumna on the 15th day. The Commander-in-Chief on the 16th-17th days was Karna, but he was killed on the 17th day by Arjuna. The Commander-in-Chief on the last day was Shalya.