A character in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, Shakuni was the brother of Gandhari. He was very fond of his nephew Duryodhana. He won the Pandava's half of the kingdom for his nephew, as a wager in a rigged game of dice. The dice that were used were made with Shakuni's father's thigh bones and would always do his bidding.

Some sources say Shakuni had been insulted when his beloved sister has been married to a blind man and swore to destroy the Kaurava clan. He achieved this by poisoning the mind of his volatile nephew, and influenced Duryodhana into instigating