The Ashvamedha Parva is the fourteenth book of the Mahabharata, which, along with the Ramayana, is one of the central Sanskrit epics of Indian literature. The basic narrative of this ancient Indian epic concerns a battle between two groups of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Over the course of the narrative, these two branches of the same family feud over the throne of Hastinapura, and their extended battles and conflicts are lumped together into the Kurukshetra War. Interwoven into this narrative are many smaller stories about people, both dead and living, and general philosophical discourses. The exact date of the Mahabharata’s composition is not known. However, it is generally believed to have been composed between 400 BCE and 400 CE. The epic evolved throughout this time period, although the core narrative of the Kurukshetra War is likely to be the result of older oral storytelling traditions.