Harsha

"Harsa" redirects here. For the Romanian village of Hârsa, see Plopu.
"Harshvardhan" redirects here. For other people with similar names, see Harsha Vardhan.
For other uses, see Harsha (disambiguation).
Harsha
Ruler of North India
Reign c. 606 – c. 648 CE
Predecessor Rajyavardhana
Successor Yashovarman
Born 590
Died 648
Dynasty Pushyabhuti
Father Prabhakarvardhana

Harsha (c. 590–648), also known as Harshavardhana, was an Indian emperor who ruled North India from 606 to 648 from his capital Kannauj. He belonged to Pushyabhuti dynasty. He was the son of Prabhakarvardhana who defeated the Huna invaders[1] and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, a king of Thanesar, Haryana. He was the founder and ruler of the Empire of Harsha and at the height of his power his empire spanned the Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bengal, Odisha and the entire Indo-Gangetic plain north of the Narmada River. Harsha was defeated by the south Indian Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty when Harsha tried to expand his Empire into the southern peninsula of India.[2] Harshavardhana was the last Hindu emperor of united North India.

Origins

Palace ruins at "Harsh ka tila" mound area spread over 1 km

After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of the 6th century, North India was split into several independent kingdoms. The northern and western regions of India passed into the hands of a dozen or more feudatory states. Prabhakara Vardhana, the ruler of Sthanvisvara, who belonged to the Pushyabhuti family, extended his control over neighbouring states. Prabhakar Vardhan was the first king of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Thaneswar. After Prabhakar Vardhan's death in 605, his eldest son, Rajya Vardhana, ascended the throne. Harsha Vardhana was Rajya Vardhana's younger brother. This period of kings from the same line has been referred to as the Vardhana dynasty in many publications.[3][4][5] [6]

According to major evidences, Harsha, like the Guptas, was of the Vaishya Varna.[7] The Chinese traveler Xuanzang mentions an emperor named Shiladitya, who had been claimed to be Harsha.[8] Xuanzang mentions that this king belonged to "Fei-she". This word is generally restored as "Vaishya" (a varna or social class).[9]

Ascension

Rajya Vardhana’s and Harsha’s sister Rajyashri had been married to the Maukhari king, Grahavarman. This king, some years later, had been defeated and killed by king Devagupta of Malwa and after his death Rajyashri had been cast into prison by the victor. Harsha's brother, Rajya Vardhana, then the king at Thanesar, could not stand this affront on his family, marched against Devagupta and defeated him. But it so happened at this moment that Shashanka, king of Gauda in Eastern Bengal, entered Magadha as a friend of Rajyavardhana, but in secret alliance with the Malwa king. Accordingly, Sasanka treacherously murdered Rajyavardhana.[10] On hearing about the murder of his brother, Harsha resolved at once to march against the treacherous king of Gauda and killed Shashanka in a battle. Harsha ascended the throne at the age of 16.

Reign

As North India reverted to small republics and small monarchical states ruled by Gupta rulers after the fall of the prior Gupta Empire, Harsha united the small republics from Punjab to central India, and their representatives crowned him king at an assembly in April 606 giving him the title of Maharaja. Harsha adopted Buddhism[11] and established the Empire of Harsha which brought all of northern India under his control.[12] The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a center of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveler Xuanzang visited the court of Harsha, and wrote a very favourable account of him, praising his justice and generosity.[12]

Pulakeshin II defeated Harsha on the banks of Narmada in the winter of 618-619 A.D.[13][14]

Author

Harsha is widely believed to be the author of three Sanskrit plays Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarsika.[15] 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."[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ India: History, Religion, Vision and Contribution to the World, by Alexander P. Varghese p.26
  2. ↑ Ancient India by Ramesh Chandra Majumdar p.274
  3. ↑ Harsha Charitra by Banabhatt
  4. ↑ Legislative Elite in India: A Study in Political Socialization by Prabhu Datta Sharma, Publ. Legislators 1984, p32
  5. ↑ Revival of Buddhism in Modern India by Deodas Liluji Ramteke, Publ Deep & Deep, 1983, p19
  6. ↑ Some Aspects of Ancient Indian History and Culture by Upendra Thakur, Publ. Abhinav Publications, 1974,
  7. ↑ A Journey Through India's Past
  8. ↑ Wendy Doniger (2006). Ratnāvalī. New York University Press. p. 15.
  9. ↑ Shankar Goyal (2006). Harsha, a multidisciplinary political study. Kusumanjali. p. 122.
  10. ↑ "Harsha (Indian emperor)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Harsha". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  12. 1 2 International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania by Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda p.507
  13. ↑ The Hindu, 25 April 2016, p. 9: "Pulakeshin's victory over Harsha was in 618 AD"
  14. ↑ the Times of India", Pune, 23 April 2016, p. 3: Study unravels nuances of classical Indian history
  15. 1 2 Harsha (2006). "The Lady of the Jewel Necklace" and "The Lady who Shows Her Love". Translated by Wendy Doniger. New York University Press. p. 18.

Further reading

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Harsha.
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