Bhishma wanted Pandu, the king of Hastinapur, to get married. Kunti, the adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoja, chose Pandu as her husband and was married to him. Princess Madri of Madra kingdom also wanted to marry Pandu, so she became his second wife.
Gandhari, the princess of Gandhara kingdom, was chosen as the
bride for Dhritarashtra.
Dhritarashtra was blind, and Gandhari did not
want to be better than her husband in any respect. So she tied a silk
bandage on her eyes and pledged never to remove it. A suitable bride was
also chosen for Vidura , the minister of Hastinapur, who was raised as a
brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra .
As time passed, Kunti gave birth to three sons Yudhistira,
Bhima,and Arjuna. Madri gave birth to twins and name Nakula and Sahadeva
. As these five were the sons of Pandu , they are called the Pandavas.
Gandhari wanted a hundred children so she prayed to Saint Vyasa
who granted her the boon . But Gandhari gave birth to a lump of flesh.
Vyasa cut this lump into hundred and one pieces, which formed hundred boys and one girl. These children of Dhritarashtra were called the Kauravas as they belonged to the Kuru dynasty. The eldest of the Kaurava brothers were called Duryodhana .
After the marriage of the Pandavas, Vidura
went to Pancala and told them, Bhisma Pitamaha, Guru Drona, King Dhritarashtra and
Queen Gandhari, all want them to return to Hastinapur." But the Pandavas were
not sure if they would be safe near Duryodhana. Lord Krishna advised Vidura
to divide Hastinapur between the Kauravas and Pandavas to ensure peace.
The Pandavas went to Hastinapur and were given a warm welcome.
King Dhritarashtra told Yudhisthira, "The throne of Hastinapur belongs to you. But when your father Pandu died, you were very young so I was made king. Due to this, Duryodhana wants to be king. So everybody has decided to give you half the kingdom." Yudhisthira agreed and became the ruler of half the kingdom with its capital in Indraprastha. 
