He was appointed as the final commander-in-chief of the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War. The deceptive plot of Ashwatthama's supposed death led to murder of his grieving father Drona, who was decapitated while meditating for his son's soul. He became a Chiranjivi (immortal) due to the blessing of lord Shiva and was cursed by lord Krishna to suffer for 3000 years in penance after the Kurukshetra war for attacking the womb of Uttara. He was a Maharathi who fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. Ashwatthama ruled the northern region of Panchala, being subordinate to the rulers of Hastinapura. He was the grandson of the sage Bharadwaja. In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, Ashwatthama ( Sanskrit: अश्वत्थामा, romanized: Aśvatthāmā) or Drauni was the son of guru Drona and Kripi (sister of Kripacharya).