During the fierce Battle of Kurukshetra, the chariot of Arjuna and Lord Shri Krishna was the focal point of the entire battle. Arjuna's chariot was called "Kapidhwaj" because the subtle form of Lord Hanuman resided on it. This episode originated during the Pandavas' exile.

Once, when Arjuna had grown arrogant about his archery skills, he met Hanuman in the form of a monkey. Hanuman had shattered Arjuna's arrogance during a bet regarding the Ram Setu. Realizing his mistake, Arjuna apologized. Pleased, Hanuman promised to protect Arjuna by sitting on the flag of his chariot during the Mahabharata War.

During the battle, great warriors like Bhishma, Drona, and Karna fired numerous devastating divine weapons at Arjuna. A normal chariot would have been destroyed in an instant by these weapons, but Arjuna's chariot remained unharmed because Lord Krishna himself was its charioteer and Hanuman, seated atop it, was able to absorb the radiance of all the weapons.

After the battle ended, as soon as Lord Krishna disembarked and Hanuman departed, the magnificent chariot burned to ashes in an instant. Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna that the chariot had already been destroyed by divine weapons long ago; it had remained intact throughout the battle only by the grace of divine powers.

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