Dhritarashtra, being the elder one had to be married first, so Bhisma began looking for eligible brides.
Meanwhile, Saubala, the King of Gandhara Kingdom, had a daughter named Gandhari, who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Pleased by her devotion, Shiva granted her a boon of begetting 100 children.
Bhisma, hearing the boon Gandhari was blessed with, thought that she would be a perfect bride for Dhritarashtra.
When this proposal was made, Saubala, king of Gandhara, hesitated because Dhritarashtra was blind. But in order to strengthen his weakened kingdom, he agrees to the alliance with the Kuru Dynasty.
When Gandhari found out that her fiancée is blind, she decides to share his disability and blindfolds herself with a silk cloth. Gandhari had an elder brother named Shakuni, who was extremely devious.
After their marriage, Gandhari remained extremely devoted to her husband and continued to share his blindness.