Pandavas reach Viraata Nagara. Mahabharata 89

The people who had served them well the last twelve years went different ways as instructed and Pandavas were on their own. They performed Agni pooja and sought blessings of the tapasvi brahmins and commenced their journey. They moved forward carefully avoiding habitation by staying on hilly areas, reached Yamuna river and entered the country of Virata through  the surrounding forests.

As they neared Virata Nagara, Draupadi, very tired suggested that they halt and enter the city the next day. Yudhisthira wanted to press on and asked Arjuna to carry Draupadi till they reached the outskirts. As they got closer to the city, thinking  rightly that they would scare the people if they entered with their weapons and also risk being discovered and compelled to go to back the forest for another twelve years, chose to hide their weapons.

Looking for a place to hide, and spotted a 'Banni' tree near a cremation ground and felt it is the best  place to hide their weapons. They reasoned, 'The tree is thorny and no one will dare to check if they think it is a corpse up there'. Hence they tied their weapons in the shape of a corpse and hung it up high on the tree. They also announced it to a few boys around grazing their herd, 'Our mother is dead, As per our custom we have tied her body up on the tree!'

Having done this, Yudhisthira  gave each one of them a code name. They also decided to enter the city one by one. Yudhisthira was the first one to enter the city.