Women in Mahabharata - Jara
She is a local woman of Magadh, noted in the epic as a rakshasi. Her name appears however, far too late in the story for her to be a part of the original rakshasa clans, and hence it is just a descriptor rather than a concrete familial tie.
When the King Brihadratha abandons his infant son in the forest [noted as a child stillborn in two halves; some researchers suggest he may have been born premature and/or suffering from some kind of early-childhood disease], Jara finds the baby and nurses him back to health before returning him to the royal family.
Jarasandha, once he grows up and achieves emperor-ship, celebrates Jara by declaring her to be a protective goddess and organizing elaborate festivals in her honour.














