After the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas went on to rule over the Kuru kingdom for 36 years. At the end of these 36 years, their mentor, cousin, and key advisor, Lord Sri Krishna returned to his heavenly abode. Unable to bear his separation, the Pandava brothers renounced the world, and attained heaven, leaving the kingdom in the hands of their sole heir- Parikshit. Here are some other events that happened after the war:

• Yudhishthira succeeded Dhritarashtra to the throne of Hastinapura.
• The death of several rulers and kings in the war resulted in several successions, of which two notable ones being the crowning of Yudhishthira as the king of Hastinapura and declaration of Yuyutsu as the subordinate king to Yudhishthira for the kingdom of Indraprastha. The states of Hastinapur and Indraprastha were reunified and were governed by the Pandavas.
• The Mausala Parva, one of the eight books found in Hindu culture of Java and Bali, Indonesia, describes the demise of Krishna in the 36th year after the Kurukshetra war had ended, the submersion of Dvaraka under sea, death of Balarama by drowning in the sea, Vasudevas death, and a civil war fought among the Yadava clan that killed many of them. The story of infighting of the Yadavas becomes the reason why the Pandava brothers renounce their kingdom and begin their walk towards heaven.
• Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti retire into the forest with Vidura. The four of them die in a fire. The Yadavas are destroyed by in-fighting. Krishna and Arjuna retire to the forest, where Krishna is accidentally killed.

It is worth noting that the Mahabharata explores the theme that victory in the war did not mean victory in any meaningful form for the Pandavas; that their success in winning the battle of Kurukshetra was only transitory, and that should not be taken to mean that they were more deserving or better than the Kauravas.