DAILY CLASS NOTES

NCERT: Ancient History

Lecture -19
Post Gupta Period
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Post Gupta Period

❖ Post-Gupta Period

❖ Introduction to Pushyabhuti/Vardhan Dynasty

❖ Geographical Extent of Harsha’s Empire

❖ Contributions of Hiuen Tsang

❖ Structure and Condition of the Vardhan Dynasty

❖ About Nalanda University

Post-Gupta Period:
❖ The Guptas with their seat of power in UP
and Bihar ruled over north and western
India for about 160 years until the mid-
sixth century.

➢ However, the glorious dynasty fell from

power as the White Huns from Central
Asia attacked the north-western part of
India because of which a large portion of
the region went under the control of the
Hunas.
➢ This region consisted of Kashmir,
Punjab, and the western part of India.
These territories remained under the control of the Hunas till the 5th century A.D.

➢ These Hunas were so powerful that their attack led to the collapse of the Western
Roman Empire.

❖ Several tribes who were feudal lords started evolving in Central India. These feudal
lords declared independence. Guptas remained limited to a small territory near
Pataliputra.
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➢ Among the tribes that rose to power, the Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar (Haryana)
extended their authority over all other feudatories and were the most prominent.

➢ The governor of Haryana was known as Pushuyabhuti Vardhan.

Introduction to Pushyabhuti/Vardhan Dynasty:

❖ The dynasty came into prominence after the decline of the Gupta Empire. The founder
of the Pushyabhuti dynasty was
Pushyabhuti Vardhan. He was not
very powerful but was a feudal lord
who declared himself to be
independent.

❖ Later on, Prabhakar Vardhan came

to power and is considered to be
one of the most powerful rulers
belonging to this dynasty. He is
remembered to have defeated the
Alchon Hun invasions.

➢ He had two sons, Rajyavardhana and Harshavardhana. After Prabhakara Vardhana

died, his elder son Rajyavardhana ascended to the throne of Thanesar.

❖ Harsha and Rajyavardhana’s sister Rajyashri was married to the Maukhari King,
Grahavarman of Kannauj. Because of the matrimonial alliance, both the Maukharis and
the Pushyabhutis came together which raised tensions for the king of Gauda.

➢ Devagupta, the king of Malwa, and Shashanka of Gauda came together and
established an alliance to jointly defeat the Maukharis and the Pushyabhutis.
✓ Shashanka was the one who cut off the Bodhi tree and killed several Buddhists
as he was against the belief of Buddhism immediately after gaining control over
Bihar.
✓ Shashanka was the first independent king of a unified polity in the Bengal
region, called the Gauda Kingdom, and is a major figure in Bengali history.

➢ The Malwa dynasty then attacked the Maukharies killed Grahavarman and kept
Rajyashri as a prisoner. This is how Malwa took control over Kannauj. This
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prompted Rajyavardhana to launch an attack on Kannauj as Devgupta captured

the throne of the Maukharies.

➢ He was successful in killing Devgupta, freeing his sister, and taking control of Malwa.
After this event, Shashanka of the Gauda dynasty killed Rajyavardhana.

➢ Finally, 16-year-old Harshavardhana ascended the throne of Thanesar in 606 AD.

➢ Harsha vowed to avenge his brother’s and brother-in-law’s murder. Thus, he

vehemently defeated Shashanka and took control over the entire Kannauj but
Shashanka was not killed as he eloped. After Shashanka’s natural death, Harsha
took control of the Gauda dynasty.

❖ Harsha made Kanauj the seat of his power. The city was situated in the Farrukabad
district of Uttar Pradesh and shot up to political prominence in the second half of the
sixth century. It was located right in the middle of the doab and was well-fortified in
the seventh century.

Geographical Extent of Harsha’s Empire (606 AD - 647 AD):

❖ Rule in North India: Harsha is called the last great Hindu emperor of North India. He
had the whole of India except Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and
Orissa under his direct control. But his sphere of influence spread over a much wider
area. Later, he took control of Kashmir too.
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❖ Rule in the South: In the South, Harsha’s march was stopped on the Narmada River by
the Chalukyan king, Pulakeshin II. Between the 6th and 8th centuries A.D., the
Chalukyas were a powerful force in southern India.
➢ Harsha was a powerful force in Northern India at the time. A conflict erupted
between Pulkesin II and Harsha on the banks of the Narmada River. Harsha lost a
large portion of his elephant army in this battle and he was forced to retire.

➢ The Aihole Inscription in Karnataka makes reference to this. Huien Tsang has also
described the same conflict. The fight ended with a treaty that required Harsha to
acknowledge the Narmada River as his southern frontier.

Contributions of Hiuen Tsang:

❖ He was a Chinese pilgrim who came to India in 629 A.D. to study at the Buddhist
University of Nalanda. He stayed in India for 15 years and
then returned in 645 A.D.
❖ He highlighted the richness of India, the economic and social
life of ancient India, described Harsha’s court and life in those
days, and his account as richer and more reliable than that
of Fa-Hien’s.

❖ It sheds light on the social and economic life as well as the

religious sects of the period.

❖ In the south, Hieun Tsang met Pulakeshin II.

❖ The Chinese account shows that Pataliputra was in a state of

decline. On the other hand, Prayag and Kannauj in the doab had become very
important. Harsha was a Hindu, an avid follower of Shaivism but later embraced
Mahayana Buddhism under Hieun Tsang’s influence.

Structure and Condition of the Vardhan Dynasty:

❖ Administrative System:

➢ Feudal System: His administration was feudal and decentralized. The feudal system
prevailed and there was a system of representative governance. Ministers and high
officers of the state were endowed with land.
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➢ Land Grants: Land grants were

common during this time too and
were given to the priestly class for
their special services rendered to
the state.

➢ Division of Revenue: As mentioned

by Hiuen Tsang, revenue was
divided into four parts → For the
expenditure of the king, for scholars, for officials and public servants, and for
religious purposes.
➢ Military Power: Harsha’s military strength was a result of the collaboration with
his feudatories.
➢ Poor Law and Order: Law and order was not well maintained. Even Hieun Tsang
was robbed of his belongings. The robbery was considered to be the second treason
for which the right hand of the robber was amputated.

❖ Social Developments: The Brahmins and the Kshatriya were reported to have lived a
simple life, but the nobles and priests led a luxurious life. Hieun Tsang calls the shudras
as agriculturalists which is significant. Untouchables such as scavengers and executioners
lived outside of the village.

❖ Religious Developments: Harsha adhered to a policy of religious tolerance. He was a

Shaiva in his early years. He gradually became a great patron of Buddhism and adopted
Hinayana Buddhism. Later on, due to the influence of Hiuen Tsang, he converted to
Mahayana Buddhism.
➢ As a devout of Buddhism, he convened a grand assembly at Kannauj to publicize
the doctrines of Mahayana widely. Harsha who was very fond of Hieun Tsang was
honored here at Kannauj for his contributions. At Prayag, every five years, Harsha
held a religious assembly where he gave his belongings to charity for the welfare of
the public.

➢ The Buddhists were divided into 18 sects when Hiuen Tsang was in India. The old
centers of Buddhism had fallen on bad days.
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❖ Development in Literature: Banabhatta who was the court poet at Harsha’s court
composed Harshacharita. This account gives us flattering information about the early
days of Harsha, his patron in an ornate style. Harsha wrote three plays- Priyadarshika,
Ratnavali, and Nagananda. He was also a patronized and rewarded literary man.

About Nalanda University:

❖ The Nalanda University was built by Kumaragupta
of the Gupta dynasty in the 5th century BCE. It is
the most famous Buddhist university meant for
Buddhist monks.

❖ It is said to have had as many as 10,000 students.

These students were taught the Buddhist
philosophy of the Mahayana school.

❖ In 670 AD, another Chinese pilgrim I- Tsing visited Nalanda and mentioned that only
3000 monks lived there.

❖ The monastery at Nalanda was supported by the revenues collected from 200 villages.
Nalanda thus had a huge monastic establishment during the reign of Harshavradhana.
However, the university was destroyed by Muhammad Baktiyar Khalji in 1200 CE.

➢ Bakhtiyar Khalji inaugurated Muslim rule in Bengal by conquering Nadia in early

1205 AD. A native of Garamsir (modern Dasht-i-Marg) in northern Afghanistan,
he belonged to the Khalji tribe of the Turks.

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