Harshavardhan

In the seventh century, Harshavardhana was a powerful Indian ruler who ruled from 606 to 647 CE.

Indian culture: India's history: History of Ancient India: One of the most influential Indian emperors of the seventh century was Harshavardhan Harshavardhana. Harshavardhana's empire stretched from north India to the Narmada River in central India at its height. His reign was noted for its peace, stability, and prosperity, and it attracted numerous artists and scholars from all over the world. Harshavardhana received a lot of praise from famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang for his generosity and administrative abilities. Harshavardhana, who ruled from 606 to 647 CE, was the Pushyabhuti dynasty's most successful emperor until he was overthrown by Pulakeshin II, a ruler from South India. The Pushyabhuti dynasty came to an end with Harshavardhana's defeat.

Ascension to the Throne Following the fall of the Gupta Empire, the Pushyabhuti dynasty, also known as the Vardhana dynasty, rose to prominence. The first Pushyabhuti king, Prabhakara Vardhana, was instrumental in consolidating the small republics and monarchical states that had emerged in North India following the Gupta dynasty's fall. In 605 CE, Prabhakara Vardhana's eldest son, Rajya Vardhana, took over as ruler. Rajya Vardhana and Harshavardhana had a sister named Rajyashri. Harshavardhana was Rajya Vardhana's brother. After that, Rajyashri tied the knot with the Maukhari king Grahavarman. Rajyashri was imprisoned after the Malwa King Devagupta defeated Rajyashri's husband, King Grahavarman. The subjects of King Grahavarman were now under the control of King Devagupta. Additionally, Rajyashri endured inhumane treatment while she was imprisoned. Rajya Vardhana marched his troops into the kingdom of Devagupta and defeated him because he could not bear the way his sister was treated. Shashanka, a Gauda ruler, entered Rajya Vardhana's kingdom around the same time. Sadly, Rajya Vardhana was unable to determine the reason for Shashanka's entry into his kingdom. Shashanka had gained insight into Rajya Vardhana's military affairs by posing as his friend. Shashanka, on the other hand, was an ally of Rajya Vardhana's nemesis. Rajya Vardhana eventually paid the price for his lack of suspicion when he was assassinated by Shashanka. When Harshavardhana learned that his brother had passed away, he fought Shashanka and won convincingly. At the age of 16, he succeeded to the throne and assumed leadership of the Vardhana dynasty.

Organization and the Realm

Harshavardhana controlled over the whole North India from 606 to 647 CE. Many people said that Harshavardhana's empire was like the great Gupta Empire because his administration was like the Gupta Empire's. There was no bondage in his domain and individuals were allowed to carry on with their existence as per their desire. By building rest houses with all the necessary amenities, his empire also took care of the poor. Harshavardhana has been portrayed as a noble emperor who ensured the happiness of all his subjects in numerous texts. His people were not subjected to hefty taxes, and the economy was somewhat self-sufficient. His capital, Kannauj, in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh, attracted numerous artists, poets, religious leaders, and academics from all over the world. Additionally, he maintained amiable relationships with the Chinese. He even sent an Indian mission to China, which helped establish diplomatic ties between India and China. Xuanzang, a well-known traveler and monk from China, spent eight years in his empire. Later, he wrote about his experiences and even commended Harshavardhana for how he ran his empire.

Harshavardhana led a strong army that he built up over time. According to historical records, he commanded 100,000 cavalry, 50,000 infantry, and 60,000 elephants at his height. Additionally, he supported the arts and literature. During his reign, a formidable wall enclosing the university's structures was constructed thanks to numerous gifts to the institution. The university's prosperity was ensured by this wall, which protected it from enemies' assaults and invasions. It is well known that Harshavardhana was interested in prose and poetry. In the court of Harshavardhana, a well-known Indian poet by the name of Banabhatta served as the "Asthana Kavi," or primary poet of the kingdom. As the author of three Sanskrit plays—Ratnavali, Priyadarsika, and Nagananda—the emperor himself was an accomplished writer.

The majority of North India was devoid of coins during Harshavardhana's reign. This suggests that the economy was based on feudalism. Individuals were more worried about developing their own harvests as opposed to making a business opportunity for the yields developed.

One of the earliest Indian kingdoms where feudalism was practiced was Harshavardhana's. This was comparable to European feudal grants. Harshavardhana was honored by independent rulers known as "Mahasamantas," who also assisted him by providing him with military reinforcements. Harshavardhana's empire grew substantially as a result of this.

It encompassed all of North and Northwestern India and was one of the largest Indian empires of the seventh century CE. His empire in the east extended all the way down to Kamarupa and the Narmada River. His empire is said to have encompassed the entire Indo-Gangetic plain as well as the states of Orissa, Bengal, and Punjab in the present day. During his reign, Harshavardhana defeated and seized numerous kingdoms. His advisers devised a strategy to conquer South India when he considered expanding his empire beyond the Narmada River. After that, he devised a strategy to confront Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty. A significant portion of South India belonged to Pulakeshin II. As a result, Harshavardhana's strategy of fighting Pulakeshin II suggests that he wanted to take control of India as a whole. Unfortunately, Harshavardhana lost the battle on the Narmada's banks because he underestimated Pulakeshin II's military prowess. 

Religion According to historical sources, Harshavardhana was a Shaivite, but his ancestors were sun worshippers. His subjects referred to him as "Parama-maheshvara," which means "supreme devotee of Lord Shiva." He was a fervent devotee of Lord Shiva. In fact, he wrote the Sanskrit play "Nagananda," which was dedicated to Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. He was a staunch Shaivite, but he was also tolerant of all religions and offered his support. His subjects were free to adhere to and practice the religion of their choice because he did not impose his religious beliefs on them. He became a Buddhist supporter at some point in his life. According to the records, King Harshavardhana was encouraged to support and even spread Buddhism by his sister Rajyashri, who had converted to the religion. He constructed several Buddhist stupas. On the banks of the Ganges, he constructed 100-foot-tall stupas. In addition, he outlawed the killing of animals and began constructing monasteries throughout North India.

He built hospices and instructed his men to properly care for them. Poor people and religious tourists from all over India stayed in these hospices. Additionally, he set up a religious gathering known as "Moksha." Every five years, it was held once. In 643 CE, Harshavardhana was also famous for organizing a huge Buddhist convocation. This convocation was held at Kannauj and was attended by twenty kings and hundreds of pilgrims from all over the world. Xuanzang, a Chinese traveler, wrote about his experience attending this massive convocation. In addition, Xuanzang wrote about a religious festival that lasted 21 days and was also held at Kannauj. This religious celebration was centered on a pure gold Buddha statue in life size. Xuanzang says that daily rituals were performed in front of a life-size Buddha statue by Harsha and his subordinate kings. Whether Harshavardhana converted to Buddhism is still unknown. However, Xuanzang has made it clear in one of his writings that King Harshavardhana treated scholars of other religions with the same respect as Buddhist monks. This raises the possibility that he did not actually become Buddhist.

King Harshavardhana left for the holy abode in 647 CE after ruling over the majority of North India for more than 40 years. His empire rapidly disintegrated into small states as a result of his lack of heirs. The powerful Vardhana dynasty came to an end when King Harshavardhana died.