HARSHAVARDHANA, HARSHA’S INDIA

(590-647 CE)
A TERM PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR
OF
ARTS

SUPERVISOR:
Dr. Rashmi Ma’am
DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT
INDIAN HISTORY AND
ARCHEOLOGY
SUBMITTED BY
ADITYA NARYAN TIWARI
B.A. SEMESTER V
ROLL NO- 2110011016668

DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY AND

ARCHEOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF LUCKNOW
(2023)
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 INDEX
Sr.No. Particulars Page.No.

❖1 ACKNOWLEGEMENT 3

❖2 CHAPTER-1 INTRODUCTION 4-5

❖3 CHAPTER-2 BACKGROUND OF 6-9

VARDHANA DYNASTY

❖4 CHAPTER-3 EARLY LIFE OF KING 10 - 13

HARSHAVARDHANA

❖5 CHAPTER-4 HARSHA’S ACHIEVEMENT 14 - 16

❖6 CHAPTER-5 CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT 17 - 19

OF KIND HARSHAVARDHAN

❖7 CHAPTER-6 CONCLUSION 20 - 21

❖8 CHAPTER-7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 22

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 ACKNOWLEGEMENT

The success and outcome of this project were possible by the guidance and support from many
people. I am incredibly privileged to have got this all along with the achievement of my project.
It required a lot of effort from each individual involved in this project with me and I would like
to thank them.
I appreciate and thank Dr. RASHMI MA’AM, for granting me an opportunity to do the project
activity in LUCKNOW UNIVERSITY and providing us with all support and leadership, which
made me finish the TERM PAPER. I am really thankful to her for presenting such excellent
support and guidnce, despite having a busy schedule enduring the corporate affairs.

I am thankful for and lucky enough to get consistent encouragement. support and supervision
from all Teaching staffs of “DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY AND
ARCHEOLOGY” which helped us in completing our project work. Also, I would like to
continue our genuine esteems to all staff in the laboratory for their timely support

NAME- ADITYA NARAYAN TIWARI

DATE-
ROLL NO- 2110011016668
CLASS- BA 5th SEMESTER

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 CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION
After the overthrow of the White Huns no supreme power existed in India until the beginning
of the 7th century. The decline of the Gupta Empire was followed by a period of political
disorder and disunity in North India. It was only in the beginning of the seventh century AD
that Harshvardhana (606-647 or 648) succeeded in establishing a larger kingdom in north India.
Harsha, originally king of Thaneswar, after a thirty-five years' war, became the lord paramount
of the north, while Pulikesin II, the greatest of the Chalukya dynasty, was the leading sovereign
in the south. The chief sources for tracing the history of Harsha and his times are the
Harshacharita written by Bana and the Travel accounts of Hiuen Tsang. Bana was the court
poet of Harsha. Hiuen Tsang was the Chinese traveler who visited India in the seventh century
AD. Besides these two sources, the dramas written by Harsha, namely Ratnavali, Nagananda
and Priyardarsika also provide useful information. The Madhuben plate inscription and the
Sonpat inscription are also helpful to know the chronology of Harsha. The Banskhera
inscription contains the signature of Harsha.

The founder of the family of Harsha was Pushyabhuti.

Pushyabhutis were the feudatories of the Guptas. They called themselves Vardhanas. After the
Hun invasions they assumed independence. The first important king of Pushyabhuti dynasty
was Prabhakaravardhana. His capital was Thaneswar, north of Delhi. He assumed the title
Maharajadhiraja and Paramabhattaraka. After Prabhakaravardhana’s death, his elder son
Rajyavardhana came to the throne.

He had to face problems right from the time of his accession. His sister, Rajyasri had married
the Maukhari ruler called Grihavarman. The ruler of Malwa, Devagupta in league with
Sasanka, the ruler of Bengal had killed Grihavarman. Immediately on hearing this news,
Rajyavardhana marched against the king of Malwa and routed his army. But before he could
return to his capital, he was treacherously murdered by Sasanka. In the meantime, Rajyasri
escaped into forests. Harsha now succeeded his brother at Thaneswar. His first responsibility
was to rescue his sister and to avenge the killings of his brother and brother-in law. He first
rescued his sister when she was about to immolate herself.

In his first expedition, Harsha drove out Sasanka from Kanauj. He made Kanauj his new capital.
This made him the most powerful ruler of north India. Harsha fought against Dhuruvasena II
of Valabhi and defeated him. Dhuruvasena II became a vassal. The most important military
campaign of Harsha was against the Western Chalukya ruler Pulakesin II. Both the accounts of
Hiuen Tsang and the inscriptions of Pulakesin II provide the details of this campaign. Harsha
with an ambition to extend his kingdom south of the Narmada river marched against the
Chalukya ruler. But the Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II mentions the defeat of Harsha by

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Pulakesin, who after this achievement assumed the title Paramesvara. Hiuen Tsang's accounts
also confirm the victory of Pulakesin. Harsha led another campaign against the ruler of Sindh,
which was an independent kingdom. But, it is doubtful whether his Sind campaign was a
successful one. Nepal had accepted Harsha's overlordship. Harsha established his control over
Kashmir and its ruler sent tributes to him. He also maintained cordial relations with
Bhaskaravarman, the ruler of Assam. Harsha's last military campaign was against the kingdom
of Kalinga in Orissa and it was a success. Thus Harsha established his hold over the whole of
north India. The regions modern Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa were under
his direct control. But his sphere of influence was much more extensive. The peripheral states
such as Kashmir, Sind, Valabhi and Kamarupa acknowledged his sovereignty.

About 620 the armies of the northern and southern

empires met. The result of this encounter was that Harsha was forced to accept the Narbada
river as his southern frontier. At the end of his reign Harsha held sway over the whole of the
Gangetic plain from the Himalayas to the Narbada, while the kings of Kamarupa (Assam),
Valabhi (in Kathiawar), and Nepal were his vassals. By this time Kalinga had been depopulated
and was for the most part covered with jungle. In the west the independent kingdom of Sindh
was ruled by kings of the Sudra caste, and the Punjab and Multan formed one kingdom. The
Chalukya dynasty rose into importance in the middle of the 6th century.

They seem to have been Eajputs from the north imposing their rule on the Dravidian inhabitants
of the Dekkan. Their capital was at Vatapi (the modern Badami). The Pallavas, between the
Kistna and Godaveri, were driven from their homes by the Chalukyas; but the Pallavas of
Kanchi struggled eagerly for their liberty, and victory inclined now to one side, now to the
other. The administration of Harsha was organized on the same lines as the Guptas did. Hiuen
Tsang gives a detailed picture about this. The king was just in his administration and punctual
in discharging his duties. He made frequent visits of inspection throughout his dominion. The
day was too short for him. Taxation was also light and forced labor was also rare. One sixth of
the produce was collected as land tax.

Cruel punishments of the Mauryan period continued in the times of Harsha. Hiuen Tsang
condemned the trials as barbarous and superstitious. Harsha's army consisted of the traditional
four divisions - foot, horse, chariot and elephant. The number of cavalry was more than one
lakh and the elephants more than sixty thousands. This was much more than that of the
Mauryan army. The maintenance of public records was the salient feature of Harsha's
administration. The archive of the Harsha period was known as nilopitu and it was under the
control of special officers. Both good and bad events happened during his time had been
recorded. After Harsha's death (c. 648) India became once more a medley of petty states, but,
except for the merely local incursion of the Arabs into Sindh, was free from foreign invasion
till the beginning of the 11th century. Much of the information of the political state of India at
that time is owed to the report of the travels of the Chinese pilgrim Yuan Chwang.

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 CHAPTER-2

BACKGROUND OF VARADHANA
DYNASTY
In the declining phase of the Gupta Empire, the able regional dynasties got an opportunity to
become strong and independent in their respective regions and the situation of political
decentralization re-emerged. A new round of mutual struggles for supremacy and hegemony
began among the emerging regional powers. It is noteworthy that after the Gupta dynasty, no
such imperialist superpower emerged in the history of ancient India, which could keep the
whole of India under one roof like the Mauryas or the Guptas. Sometime after the decline of
the Guptas, the process of political decentralization stopped again in the seventh century, but
in a differentform. Out of all the dynasties in North India, the Pushyabhuti dynasty or the
Vardhana dynasty was able to create an empire in North India by stopping the forces of
decentralization. On the other hand, the Chalukya dynasty in the Dakshinapatha and the Pallava
dynasty in the far south, defeating the small powers of their regions, established their empires
in wide areas

Sources to know the History of Vardhan Dynasty

An important source to know the history of Vardhana dynasty is 'Harshacharita composed by
Banabhatta, the court poet of Harshavardhana. There are eight chapters in this book- in the first
three chapters there is anautobiography of Banabhatta, in the remaining five chapters there is a
description of the earlier kings of Harsha and the early period of Harsha. Harshcharit has
abundant material for administration, religion, society and information (as well, Historians
accept the fact that in Harshacharita, Banabhatta has presented a factual description of
contemporary conditions, although it cannot be considered completely free from other defects
of rhetoric and poetic style.
Other literary sources to know the history of the Vardhana
dynasty are Kadambari the second book composed by Banabhatta, the Mahayana, the Buddhist
text Aryamanjusrimulakalpa, and the three drama texts Priyadarsika, Ratnavali and Nagananda
composed by Harsha himself. Some important mentions related to the Vardhan period are found
in these literary texts.

RULERS OF VARDHANA DYNASTY

Prabhakaravardhana (6th century CE): Prabhakaravardhana was one of the
earliest known rulers of the dynasty. He is credited with expanding his kingdom’s territory
and establishing strong diplomatic relations with neighboring states.

Rajyavardhana: Rajyavardhana, the elder son of Prabhakaravardhana, succeeded his

father as the ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty. He is known for his support of scholars and
poets and his patronage of the arts and culture.

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Harsha (Harsha Vardhana, 590-647 CE): Harsha, the younger son of
Prabhakaravardhana, is the most famous ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty. He is often
referred to as Emperor Harsha. His reign is considered a golden period in ancient Indian
history. Harsha was a great patron of literature and culture, and his court attracted many
scholars, poets, and artists.

Rajashekhara: After the death of Harsha, Rajashekhara, a minister succeeded him as the
ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty. However, his reign was relatively short, and he faced
challenges in maintaining the vast empire.

Prabhakarvardhana II: Following Rajashekhara’s reign, Prabhakarvardhana II briefly

ruled over the remnants of the dynasty’s territories.

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8|Page
DECLINE OF THE VARDHANA DYNASTY

After Harsha died in 647 CE, the Pushyabhuti dynasty faced internal strife and external
invasions. The empire gradually fragmented, and regional powers rose to prominence. The
decline of the dynasty marked the end of the Vardhana era.

Kanyakubja remained as a kingdom and once more came into the limelight under King
Yashovarman (r. 725-753 CE), while most of Harsha’s feudatories like Bhaskaravarman
bifurcated the empire and added the conquered bits to their kingdoms.

Yashovarman maintained Kanyakubja as a center of power, and between 750 and 1000 CE, its
significance increased to the point that conquering it became a sign of imperial power in India,
even for politically remote states like the Rashtrakutas of southern India, the Pratiharas of
northwestern India, and Palas of eastern India.

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 CHAPTER-3

EARLY LIFE OF HARSHAVARDHAN:

Pushyabhuti was The founder of the family of Harsha . Pushyabhutis were the feudatories of
the Guptas. They called themselves Vardhanas. After the Hun invasions they assumed
independence. The first important king of Pushyabhuti dynasty was Prabhakaravardhana'. His
capital was Thaneswar, north of Delhi. He assumed the title Maharajadhiraja and
Paramabhattaraka. After Prabhakaravardhana's death, his elder son Rajyavardhana came to the
throne. He had to face problems right from the time of his accession. His sister, Rajyasri had
married the Maukhari ruler called Grihavarman. The ruler of Malwa, Devagupta in league with
Sasanka, the ruler of Bengal had killed Grihavarman. Immediately on hearing this news,
Rajyavardhana marched against the king of Malwa and routed his army. But before he could
return to his capital, he was treacherously murdered by Sasanka. In the mean time, Rajyasri
escaped into forests.
Harsha now succeeded his brother at Thaneswar. His first responsibility was to rescue his
sister and to avenge the killings of his brother and brother-in-law. He first rescued his sister
when she was about to immolate herself.

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BANA’S HARSHACHARITA
Another source of information for the reign of Harsha is Harshacharita of Bana. Bana was a
Brahman. He was a court poet of Harsha. Harshacharita is a history of the reign of Harsha, Its
first chapter is devoted to the life and family of the author himself. The second, third and
fourth chapters deal with the ancestors of Harsha and the history of the house of Thanesar.
The six and seventh chapters deal with the wars and conquests of Harsha. The last chapter
gives a description of the various religious sects living in the forests of the Vindhyas. A study
of Harshacharita can helo us to have a good idea of the social, religious, economic and
political life of the people of India in the time of Harsha. It is true that sometimes Bana has
gone to extremes while praising his master, but it cannot be denied that the book gives us a
lot of useful information. According to Cowell and Thomas, who have translated Bana's
Harshacharita into English, "The court, the camp, the quiet village and the still more quiet
monasteries and retreats, whether of Brahmanas or Buddhists-are all painted with singular
power and his (Bana's) narrative illustrares and supplements the Chinese traveller's travel at
every turn. The book is full of Sanskrit lore of every kind."
It is also pointed out by Cowell and Thomas that Bana was not only "the greatest master of
Sanskrit language" but also a man of encyclopaedic learning. Bana has woven the story out of
actual events" and his masterpiece "in fact is as much based on real events as Scott's Quentin
Durward or Waverley." It contains "a living and contemporary picture wherein we can see
something of the India of that time, just as we see in Arrian and Plutarch something of the
India of Alexander's time." In addition to several historica1 details, "the work has another
interest from the vivid picture which it offers of the condition of Indian society and the
manners and customs of the period." Bana's "descriptions of the court and village life abound
with masterly touches which hold up the mirror to the time. Not even the Pali Jatakas
introduce us more directly into the very heart of the period or give us a more life-like picture.
The court, the camp, the quiet villages and the still more quiet monasteries and retreats,
whether of Brahmanas or Buddhists, are all painted with singular power; and his narrative
illustrates and supplements the Chinese traveller's journal at every turn." Bana's Kadambar
supplements Harshacharita in several respects. Its characters display an unrivalled
consistency and idealism. Tarapida's ideal rule and benevolence, Sukanaso's unqualified
lovalty to his master and his ability as a minister, Chandrapida's noble qualities as crown
prince and Sukanasa's advice to Chandrapida are some of the finest descriptions of
Kadambari which add much to our study of that period. These details are further
supplemented by Harsha's dramas entitled the Priyadarsika, he Ratnavali and the Nagananda.
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES OF HARSHA (SOURCES)
The inscriptions, mostly in the form of eulogies and letters from bronze plates of this period,
tell a lot about political achievements and other royal characteristics. However, these
prashastis show the nature of the king's political confrontations. They say that the king was a
universal emperor (King Chakravartin/Sarvabhauma) who conquered all regions and thus got
Digvijaya. Information about political centers, land grants and settlements found in the
documents may indicate the extent of the territory under the dynasty.

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In addition, internal poems (charita kavyas) written by court poets for their patron kings
emerged as a new source of historical information during this period. In these poems, the
royal guardian of the court poet is a hero, and he goes through many changes and trials to
win. The first such example is found in Harshacharita (The Life of Harsha). It is the first
charita kavya. In this kavya, the poet Baabhatta tells the story of Harshavardhana's rise to
power.
We are told that during the reign of King
Pushyabhuti, Prabhakaravardhana, the powerful Hunas invaded the western region of the
kingdom. Prince Rajyavardhana and Prince Harshavardhana went against them. At this time,
Prabhakaravardhana fell ill and died. The situation worsened when Grahavarman, the
Maukhari king of Kanyakubja, his brother-in-law and the husband of his sister Rajyasri, was
killed by his enemies. These were Sasanka of Gauda and Devagupta of Malava.
Rajyavardhana went to fight the enemy and died in the enemy's camp. Later, Harshavardhana
rescued his sister, and as the Maukharis were childless, the minister Maukharis gave him the
throne of Kanyakubja. He accepted it and hence became the joint ruler of the kingdoms of
Pushabhuti and Maukari. He made Kanyakubja his capital. The poem ends.
The subject of the poet is a story of Harsha's accession to the throne. Bana emphasizes the
mutual love between the two brothers by portraying him as a fair and just man, thus
validating Harsha's succession to the throne despite replacing his elder brother. Later rulers
Ramapala and Bihar of Bengal, Vikramaditya VI of the Western Chalukya dynasty and
Kumarapala of the Chaulukya dynasty of Gujarat appear as central characters in charita
kavyas such as Ramacharita, Vikramankadevacharita and Kumarapalacharita. This indicates
how Harshacharita was taken as a model and started a kind of general text, followed by
rulers of different regions who wanted to appear as champions of poetry. Another source for
the period comes from the famous story of the Chinese traveler Xuan Zang, who traveled to
India between 629 and 645 AD. C. and spent much of his time at the court of Harsha.

ADMINISTRATION
Very little data is available regarding the administration in Harsha’s reign. The various
official designations seem to have continued from the days of the Guptas. Xuan Zang says
that taxes were not heavy and the king took one-sixth of the farmer’s produce as his grain
share. According to him there was no regular corvee but then he goes on to say that it was
moderate and that the taxes were light. Devahuti feels that he is probably referring to labour
in lieu of taxes. Harsha was a strong ruler and inspired confidence and loyalty in his
ministers. Xuan Zang mentions that he was an industrious king. His day was divided into
three periods out of which one was devoted to the affairs of the kingdom and two to religious
affairs. While the affairs of the state may imply more secular aspects of administration,
religious affairs may point to opening of hospitals for the needy; provision of free rest houses
on highways; distribution of charity; arrangement of philosophical debates; fruit bearing or
shady trees; establishment of educational establishments etc. He also kept in close touch with
the common man through tours of inspection in which he travelled incognito. He was familiar
with his extensive empire and that added to his proficiency as an administrator. For example,
he knew the local geography and the temperament of the people belonging to varied terrains
and that helped him in choosing the right governors. Harsha was in the habit of convening

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personal audiences with his tributary leaders and this ensured seamless administration. In 643
CE there were about 20 such tributary leaders. Harsha was on friendly terms with
neighbouring countries who he asked to extend facilities of travel and residence to Xuan
Zang. He also had diplomatic contacts with the Chinese emperor.
The highest title in Harsha’s reign was param bhattarakamaharajadhiraja, “the noblest
supreme king of kings”. The use of such high sounding titles became a norm from the Guptas
onwards. As soon as the kings became universal conquerors and achieved foremost position
among the rivals, such titles became common. The epithet sakalottara path esvara (the lord of
the entire north) bestowed upon Harsha by his rival Pulakesin II further strengthens the
authenticity of such a high sounding title.
The lesser kings were known as rajas or maharajas. They were independent in their territories
but owed allegiance to the sovereign.
Unfortunately, the two main authorities – Bana and Xuan Zang – do not tell us much about
Harsha’s administration. The inscriptions of Harsha and Pulakesin II and his successors and
other contemporary kings do give us some details of administration. The king was the
supreme head of the government. He appointed the ministers and important officers of the
state. He led the armies in battle. He ruled according to the ideals laid down in the
Dharmashastras.
The king was assisted in his administration by a council of ministers. In his council were
included feudatories, samantas, princes and high officials. There was special staff of officers
to manage the royal palace. There were departmental heads that were directly under the
control of king. In Harsha’s time civil and military departments were not clearly separate. As
a result, some of the top civil officers functioned in the capacity of military officers also. The
provincial and district administration did not differ much from that of the Guptas. This is
evident from the names of the administrative divisions and those of the officers mentioned in
the inscriptions of Damodarapura of Kumaragupta I, Faridpur inscriptions of Dharmaditya
and Samachardeva and seals of Basadha are also found in the inscriptions of Harsha and in
the descriptions of Bana.

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 CHAPTER- 4

ACHIEVEMENTS OF HARSHAVARDHANA
INTRODUCTION:
By early 6th and mid of 7th century the Vardhana or Pushyabhuti Dynasty became the most
powerful political power in North India. The most significant ruler of Vardhana dynasty was
Harshvardhana. He made an effort to bring political unity in North India and was also
successful in his initiative. The dynasty got its name from the founder Pushyabhuti. We get to
know about this dynasty from Harshacharita written by Bana Bhatta. Harshavardhan was very
keen on expanding his territory so he adopted the policy of Digvijaya (victory) and Military
conquests. Based on Chinese traveller HieunTsang’s writing some of the victories of
Harshvardhan has been outlined.

EAST CAMPAIGN
The main aim of Harsha’s east conquest was to defeat Sasanka. According to Harshacharita
and Arya-manju-shri-mul-kalpa Harsha not only defeated Sasanka but at the same time he also
took over other small kingdoms which came in the path of his victory. After the death of
Sasanka in 619-20 AD Harsha took control of Gaud. Kamrupa in east was already influenced
by king Harsha. Bhaskarvarman the ruler of Kamrupa already accepted the subordination of
Harsha. As a result of Eastward Conquest Harshavardhan was blessed with friendship alliance
of many kingdoms. Ruler of Magadha Pundravarmana also accepted Harsha’s dominance.
Along with Magadha even Nalanda accepted Harsha’s hegemony. A seal has been found from
there, Harshavardhana constructed a Vahara of bronze and gifted it to the villagers. Inscription
of Bhitora (Faizabad) reveals that Ayodhya was under Harshavardhana rule, Harsha organized
‘Mahamoksha parishad’ in Prayag after every five years. The novel Ratnawali also talks about
existence of Kosambhi bhukti

BATTLE OF VALLABHI
The empire of Vallabhi is located in Gujarat. Dhruvsena II was the ruler who was also known
as Dhruv Bhatta. Harsha attacked and defeated him. The incident is mentioned in the writings
of Jay Bhatta III. In the political outlook Vallabhi attracted both Harsha and Chalukya. Hence,
Harsha went under friendly alliance with DhruwaSena II and married his daughter to him. As
a result, he secured his military force in the western boundary. Thus, also restricted the
expansion of Chalukya’s in North. This was the most successful diplomatic step of Harsha.

VICTORY OF SINDH
Sindh was the neighbouring place of Harsha’s kingdoms. So, he wanted territorial expansion
over Sindh. Banbhatta has given an elaborate description in Harshacharita about how
Harshavardhana treated king of Sindh with lots of respect and honour and also extracted huge
amount of wealth from him. This war policy of Harshavardhana helped him to win over the old
enemy of Vardhan’s, that was Sindh but, the contradictory information has been found in the
writings of Hieun –Tsang who described Sindh as independent and powerful kingdom so, there
is no authentic information about victory of Harsha over Sindh.

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EXPANSION OF DECCAN INDIA
Writings of Huen -Tsang tells that Harshvardhan controlled Jejakbhukti (Bundelkhand)
Maneshwarpur (Gwalior), Gurjar and Ujjain.

VICTORY OF BENGAL
After the death of Sasanka in 620 AD, Harshavardhana started campaign. He conquered very
large part of Bengal. Harshavardhana gained supremacy of Samtat, Tamralipti, Karnasuarna
and Pundravardhan. After victory over Bengal, Harshavardhana issued copper inscription
(Daanpatra).

HARSHA AND PULKESHIN II

After the battle with Vallabhis, war became inevitable between ruler of Chalukyan king
Pulkeshin II and Harshavardhana. Both the rulers were very ambitious. Details regarding the
battle is found in the writings of Hieun- Tsang and Aihole inscription of Ravikirti. Harsha as a
result of his defeat had to agree on keeping his empire confined till river Narmada as it was
considered the boundary line for both the kingdoms.

EXPANSION OF DECAN INDIA

Writings of Huen -Tsang tells that Harshavardhana controlled Jejakbhukti (Bundelkhand)
Maneshwarpur (Gwalior), Gurjar and Ujjain.

CAMPAIGN OF KASHMIR AND NEPAL

Victory over Nepal and Kashmir by Harshavardhana is unsure but Banbhatta and HieunTsang,
both have written about supremacy of Harsha over these areas. According to Hieun- Tsang, he
carried tooth of Gautam Buddha from Kashmir to Kannauj and built a sangharam. As Harsha
Samvat was prevalent in Nepal thus, it can be inferred that Nepal was under control of
Harshavardhana.

ORRISA CAMPAIGN
By 640 AD Harshavardhana, brought Northern, southern Orissa and Kalinga under his control.
After this victory of Harshavardhana, the entire northern India was under his control. Thus, he
adopted the title of Shaklotarapathnath. Thus, after consolidating his empire, he began with his
imperialist policies and after Gupta’s he is considered to have established huge consolidated
empire.

EXTENT OF EMPIRE OF HARSHAVARDHANA

Harshavardhana received the area of Delhi, Thaneshwar and eastern Punjab in legacy.
Prabhakarvardhana despite winning a few battles was unable to add any new territory to his
kingdom. Kannauj extended upto Northern areas of India. Harsha added Kannauj to his empire
and extended the boundary of his territory.

Harsha waged many wars. He also brought the five Indies-eastern Punjab (The present-day
Haryana), Kannauj, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa- under his control. He conquered Vallabhi King

15 | P a g e
Dhruvasena of Gujarat. He also conquered Ganjam, a part of the modern Orissa state. He also
tried with his efforts to bring South India under his rule.
Hiuen -Tsang’s record, Banabhatta’s narrative and the Chalukya records all claimed Harsha
as the Lord of Northern India or Sakalottarpatha natha i.e., the sovereign of the entire
uttarapatha.
Hiuen-Tsang’s account also says that Harsha was the “Lord of Five Indias “. These five Indias
are equivalent to Punjab, Kanauj (in U.P.), Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. Thus, Harsha was not the
Lord of whole North India. Kashmir, Western Punjab, Sindh, Gujrat, Rajputana, Nepal, Eastern
and Northern Bengal, Kamrupa or Assam remained out of his sway. Yet his vast empire from
Punjab to Orissa was indeed evidence of his military genius. Hiuen Tsang mentions that India
of that period had about seventy kingdoms.
His long run of victories was only broken when he was defeated by the south Indian Emperor
Pulakesi II of the Chalukya dynasty

RELATION WITH CHINA

Harsha seems to have been impressed by the power and prestige of the Chinese Emperor from
what he was told about him by Hiuen Tsang. In 641 A.D., Harsha sent a Brahman envov to the
Chinese Court. In 643 A.D., a Chinese mission came along with the reply. Ma-twan-lin gives
the following account: "Siladitya assumed the title of king of Magadha and sent an ambassador
with a letter to the emperor. The emperor, in his turn, sent Liang-hoai-king as an envoy with a
royal patent to Siladitya with an invitation to him to submit (to the authority of the Chinese
emperor). Siladitva was full of astonishment and asked his officers whether any Chinese envoy
ever came to this country since time immemorial. 'Never', they replied in one voice. Thereupon
the king went out, received the imperial decree with bended knees and placed it on his head."
From the above account, Ettinghausen came to the conclusion that Harsha must have been in
great trouble and he stood badly in need of help from king of China. However, there does not
seem to be any basis for such a view. It is too much to believe that Harsha could expect any
material help from such a distant country as China.
In 643 A.D., a second Chinese mission came to India under Li-v-piao and Wang-hiuen-tse. This
mission brought the reply of the Chinese emperor and its members were received with great
respect and honour. Wang-hiuen-tse was sent back to India immediately after his arrival in
China. This mission was probably sent after the receipt of the letter which Harsha had sent
through Hiuen Tsang. Wang-hiuen-tse left for India in 644 A.D., along with Tsiang-Cheu-ienn.
Unfortunately, Harsha was dead before the arrival of the third Chinese mission.

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 CHAPTER -5
CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF HARSHA
The Harsha Vardhan was not only a congueror or an empire builder but he was also a great
scholar. We know from the records of his period that he penned three dramas: 'Priyadarshika',
'Nagananda' and 'Ratnawali and he is supposed to have been an efficient writer. Banabbatta has
also remarked about his literary quality. He had poetical skill of a high order He patronised
many great poets and scholars in the roval court.

The most significant was Banabhatta who wrote 'Harsha-Charita' and 'Kadambari Writers like
Matanga, Diwakar, Jaisena, Bhartrihari were also in his court He used to spend about one-
fourth of his income for these men of letters Litcrature and art flourished and attained their
zenith under his patronage rere ted of nd sed any a Nalanda University sha Harsha endeavoured
greatly for the expansion of education. The students used to get elementary education in the
houses of the Brahmins. The monasteries and temples were the centres of education. Nalanda
was the centre of higher education and Harsha patronised it very liberally.

He donated a hundred villages to Nalanda. A great number of students used io receive education
there. Some of them came to Nalanda from distant lands like China, Tibet and Mongolia. The
number of the teachers in this university was 1,500. Shilabhadra was the chancellor of the
university us Ha 280 Ancient India Subjects like the Vedas, Grammar, Astronomy,
Mathematics, Palmistry Literature and Ethics were taught here and the medium of instruction
was Sanskrit, Hieun Tsang was also the student of this university and remained here for about
two years. Hieun Tsang writes, "Learning and discussing, they found the way too short; day
and night they admonished each other, juniors and seniors helping towards perfection." The
students of the university were well disciplined; they had a great respect for their teachers and
the relations between the teachers and the taught were very cordial. Apart from several subiects,
much stress was laid on character building.

According to Dr. R.S Tripathi, It was at that time the most celebrated seat of learning and pride
of the Buddhist world." The most renowned teachers of the university were Dharmapal,
Chandra Pal. Gunamati, Sthirmati, Gyan Chandra and Kamal Shila etc The students were
always busy in their studies, raising doubts and resolving them. Dr. R. K. Mookerjee has
observed: "Verily Nalanda had the merit of collecting to one centre available authority on every
subject on learning."
SOCIETY UNDER HARSHA
This period witnessed the ascendancy of varnasra ma-dharma and it became an indispensable
corner stone of the Brahmanical social structure. Hiuen Tsang writes about the existence of
four varnas or orders in India. Bana characterised Harsha as one who carried out all the rules
for the varnas and asra mas. The first varna—Brahmins-continued to enjoy a very high and
respectable position in the society and the glorification of gifts to them by the other three varnas

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became a distinct feature of Brahmanism. Despite the existence of some Sudra kings, the
Kshatriya kings were in overwhelming majority. The third varna-Vaishvas-formed the class of
traders, according to Hiuen Tsang. The fourth varna-Sudras-comprised the agriculturists
according to Hiuen Tsang.
Both Bana and Hiuen Tsang talk about the exis tence of many subcastes such as the class of
vernac ular poets, class of bards, class of betal-bearers, and so on. However, all those groups
and subcastes were not new to this period and at least some of them existed in the earlier
periods. The rise of those sub castes was due to the social violation in the code of marriages
and general ethics, and also different occupations. Hiuen Tsang takes note of many out castes
and untouchables such as butchers, fisher men, executioners and scavengers, who were segre
gated and were not allowed to mix with the people of the higher varnas and had habitations
marked by a distinguishing sign ov gon ani olni beeivorgm The position of women seems to
have suffered a further decline during this period. The institution of svayamvara (self-choice
in choosing the partner) declined and there is no instance of its practice in the contemporary
literature. Remarriage of widows was not permitted particularly among the higher varnas. The
evil system of dowry, according to Bana, was quite common. There are also a few examples of
the practice of committing sati.

ECONOMY UNDER HARSHA

The nature of the economy under Harsha became increasingly more feudal and self-sufficient.
The decline of trade and commerce which started during the Gupta period itself went on
unabated under Harsha. This is evident from the decline of trade centres, paucity of coins and
the almost complete disappearance of guilds of traders and merchants. The decline of trade and
commerce obviously affected the handicrafts and other industries for want of demand.
This decline affected even agriculture, though indirectly. When trade was flourishing a great
part of the merchandise consisted of food stuffs, and also most of the raw materials for
handicrafts and indus tries came from agricultural production. But now there was a lack of
large-scale demand for agricul tural goods. So the agriculturist now bgan to pro duce only that
much which was required to meet his own needs and those of the locality but not for the market,
both internal and external. This naturally led to the rise of a self-sufficient village economy, in
which all the needs of the village were met from within, and also marked by an increasing
dependence on agriculture

HARSHA’S RELIGION
The members of the royal family to which Harsha belonged acted freely on their individual
preferences in the matter of their religion. Prabhakar-vardhan was a devotee of the Sun. It is
stated that he offered every day to the Sun "a bunch of red lotuses set in a pure vessel of ruby
and tinged like his own heart, with the same hue." Rajya-vardhan was a Buddhist. Harsha
himself distributed his devotions among three deities of the family, viz., Siva, Surya and
Buddha. He is stated to have erected costly temples for the service of all three. However, in his
later davs, he began to favour the Mahayana form of Buddhism. This was obviously the result
of the influence exercised on him by Hiuen Tsang.

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We are told that Harsha was fond of listening to the religious discussions of the learned people
belonging to various faiths. He was very much impressed by the exposition of Mahayanism by
Hiuen Tsang.

HARSHA’S GOVERNMENT
Harsha governed his empire on the same lines as the Guptas did, except that his administration
had become more feudal and decentralised. It is stated that Harsha had cavalry numbering over
one lakh and 60,000 elephants. This seems to be astonishing because the Mauryas, who ruled
over practically the whole of the country, maintained only 30,000 cav alry and 9,000 elephants.
Harsha could possess a larger cavalry only if he could mobilise the support of all his feudatories
at the time of war.
Evidently every feudatory contributed his quota of foot sol diers and horses, and thus made the
army vast in numbers. Land grants continued to be made to priests for special services rendered
to the state. In addition Harsha is credited with the grant of land to the offi cers by charters.
These grants allowed more conces sions to priests and officers than those by the earlier grants.
Thus, the feudal practice of rewarding and paying officers with grants of land on a large scale
seems to have begun under Harsha.

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 CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSION

Harsha followed the traditional monarchical system of administration which had existed in
India during the earlier imperial periods.His time having been nearer to the Gupta Age, the
various features of the imperial Gupta administration influenced Harsha's administration to a
very large extent.Yet, there were new innovations in accordance with the needs of the
time.Moreover, every great monarch had his personal designs to shape his administration, and
Harsha too went by his own individuality in governing the empire. Harsha was a true
representative of ancient monarchy in its finest aspects.

In theory, the king was absolute and all-powerful. But in practice, he enjoyed limited power,
being subject to the rules of the Dharma, the laws and customs of the land, and to the wise
advice of the ministers and countries. He had also to respect the wishes of the subjects. The
king was no doubt the supreme lawmaker, the chief executive, and the fountain of justice. He
was also the central figure of the entire administrative machinery working like its pivot. In spite
of all such powers, Harsha's monarchy was far from being autocratic. Harsha believed in the
self-government of the countless village- communities. The central government did not
concentrate all powers in its hands, but gave much autonomy to regional bodies for conducting
the affairs of the state.
During the time of Harsha his Council of Ministers
worked in an effective manner. It took vital decisions in times of crisis. There was a Chief
Minister to head the Council of Ministers. Bhandi, the Chief Minister or Rajya Vardhana,
played a notable role in bringing Harsha to the vacant throne when his brother died. He
proposed before his Council to request a reluctant Harsha to assume freedom of opinion on his
When all members of the Council agreed with the Chief Minister, the young prince was
prevailed upon to become the king. This episode proves that the ministers of the state were
responsible for taking grave decisions in the interests of the state. the royal authority while
giving each member the proposal. Harsha maintained an efficient civil service. The importance
of some of the higher officers of the state is known from their designations. The chief officers
who directly received instructions and orders from the king were Mahasamanta, Maharaja,
Pramatara or Spiritual Adviser, Rajasthaniya, Kumaramatya, Uparika, and Vishayapati, etc.
Besides these, there were the Commander-in Chief, the chief of the Cavalry Forces, and the
Chief Commandant of the Elephant Force.

According to Hiuen Tsang, the ministers of the king and the officers were paid their salaries
not in cash but in grants of land. Even cities were assigned to them. One-fourth of the crown
lands was kept apart “for the endowment of great public servants", another fourth part “for the
expenses of government and state worship".

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SUMMARY
Harsha Vardhana was one of the most important rulers of North India in the Seventh Century
A.D, Post Gupta period and before the advent of the Turko-Afghan Rule.
Sources for reconstructing the history of Harsha's political career and socio-economic
condition of this period include:
Banabhatta's Harsha Cahrita and Si-Yu-Ki of Hiuen Tsang's Travel Account as literary sources.
Copper plate grants and seals like Madhuban, Sonepat and Bankshera Plate and Nalanda seal
and Aihole Inscription constitute epigraphic sources.
The ruins and materials remains and coins discovered from the excavation of various sites in
north India constitute numismatic and archaeological sources.
Besides the Nagananda, Priyadashika and Ratnabali written by Harsha also throw light on the
history of Harsha's reign.
Harsha's ancestors ruled from Thaneswar situated in modern Haryana. Banabhatta notes that
his dynasty was known as Pushyabhuti.
Harsha's born in the year 590 A.D as the second son of Pravakaravardhana, the first son was
Rajyavardhana. Only daughter Rajyashree, was given in marriage to Grahavarman of Maukhari
dynasty of Kanauj.
Rajyavardhana succeeded Paravakaravardhana as the king of Thaneswar. During his war
against Deva Gupta of Malwa, his brother-in-law Grahavarman was killed by Deva Gupta.
Rajya Vardhan was also treacherously killed by Sasnaka, the King of Gauda.
After death of his brother, Harsha Vardhana ascended the throne of Thaneswara in 606 A.D.
Soon after his coronation he started his military campaign against Sasanka and Deva Gupta.
He also rescued his sister Rajyashree, from the Vindhyan forest by the help of forest chief.
Rajyashree was made captive and subsequently released from prison by Deva Gupta of Malwa.
Harsha in course of time led a campaign against Sasanka and occupied Eastern India. He also
had to fight with Pulakesin II of Chalukyan family ruling in South India.
Harsha consolidated his empire and his empire at its height extended from Himalaya in the
North to River Narmada in South and Kamarupa(modern Assam) in the East to Kashmir in the
west. Harsha introduced a smooth administrative apparatus and took care of his subject. A
detailed account of his administration was noted by Hiuen Tsang.
In the early year of his reign Harsha was devoted to Lord Surya and Shiva but in his later year
he adopted Mahayan sect of Buddhism and patronized it. He also worshipped lord Surya and
Shiva. He convened two great religious assemblies one at Kanauj, and the other one at Prayag.
Hiuen Tsang tried to establish supremacy of Mahayana Buddhism.
He authored three dramas namely Nagananda, Priyadarshika and Ratnavali. He also patronizes
learned man like Banabhatta and Hiuen Tsang in his court. Harsha donated number of villages
to Nalanda University for its maintenance.
Harsha's reign was one of the important phases of Indian History. During his rule India
witnessed all round peaceful development.

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 Harsha died in the year 647 AD. He ruled over North India for 41 years. After Harsha's death,
apparently without any heirs, his empire died with him. The kingdom disintegrated rapidly into
small states.

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 BIBLIOGRAPGY

BOOKS
1. Ratnavali of emperor Sri Harsha by Prof Ashoknath Bhattacharya
2. Political history of ancient India by Prof Hemachandra Raychaudhuri
3. History of Medieval Hindu India by C.V. Vaidya
4.

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