“Harshavardhana” was an Indian emperor who ruled north India.

He
was the son of “Prabhakaravardhana”, who defeated the Alchon Huna
invaders, and the younger brother of “Rajyavardhana”.

The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a centre of
cosmopolitanism of attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors
from far and wide. During this time, Harsha converted to Buddhism
from Surya worship.
According to major evidences, Harsha, like the guptas, was of the
vaishya vama. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang mentions an emperor
named Shiladitya, who had been claimed to be Harsha. Xuanzang
mentions that this king belonged to “Pei-She”. This word is generally
restored as “Vaishya” (a varna or social class).

Harsha is widely believed to be the author of three Sanskrit Plays रत्नावली,

नागानन्दं, and प्रियदर्शिका. While some believe (e.g., Mammata in
Kavyaprakasha) that it was Bana, Harsha’s court poet who wrote the
plays as a paid commission, Wendy Doniger is persuaded, however, that
king Harsha really wrote the plays… himself.