Harsha

"Harshvardhan" redirects here. For other people with similar names, see Harsha Vardhan.
For other uses, see Harsha (disambiguation).

Harsha
Maharajadhiraja
Coin of Harshavardhana, c. 606–647 CE.[1]
Maharajadhiraja of Kannauj
ReignApril 606 – 647
PredecessorRajyavardhana (as King of Thanesar)
SuccessorArunāsva (as King of Kannauj)
Born4 June 590[2]
possibly Sthanvishvara, Kingdom of Thanesar (present-day Thanesar, Haryana, India)[3][4]
Died647 (aged 56-57)
possibly Kanyakubja, Empire of Kannauj (present-day Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India)[5]
DynastyPushyabhuti
FatherPrabhakarvardhana
MotherYasomati
ReligionShaivism
Buddhism (according to Xuanzang)
SignatureHarsha's signature
Empire ruled by Harsha, 7th century CE India.[6]

Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana, the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns,[7] and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, son of Prabhakaravardhana and last king of Thanesar. He was one of the greatest kings of the Kingdom of Kannauj, which under him expanded into a vast realm in northern India.

At the height of Harsha's power, his realm covered much of northern and northwestern India, with the Narmada River as its southern boundary. He eventually made Kanyakubja (present-day Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh state) his imperial capital, and reigned till 647 CE.[8] Harsha was defeated by the Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty in the Battle of Narmada, when he tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India.[9]

The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a centre of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide.[8] The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the imperial court of Harsha and wrote a very favourable account of him (as Shiladitya), praising his justice and generosity.[8] His biography Harshacharita ("The Life of Harsha") written by the Sanskrit poet Banabhatta, describes his association with Sthanesvara, besides mentioning a defensive wall, a moat and the palace with a two-storied Dhavalagriha (white mansion).[10]

  1. ^ Research Coins: Electronic Auction Archived 2 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine cngcoins.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021
  2. ^ "Harsha And Latter Kings : Vaidya, C.v. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ Bradnock, Robert; Bradnock, Roma (1999). India Handbook 2000. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary. p. 454. ISBN 978-0-8442-4841-7. Thanesar near Kurukshetra , is the birthplace of the ruler Harsha Vardhana ( 590-647)...
  4. ^ Magill, Frank Northen; Aves, Alison (1998). Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages. Routledge. p. 430. ISBN 978-1-57958-041-4. Born: c. 590; probably Thanesar, India
  5. ^ Magill, Frank Northen; Aves, Alison (1998). Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages. Routledge. p. 430. ISBN 978-1-57958-041-4.
  6. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 146, map XIV.2 (d). ISBN 0226742210. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  7. ^ India: History, Religion, Vision and Contribution to the World, by Alexander P. Varghese p.26
  8. ^ a b c International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania by Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda p.507
  9. ^ Ancient India by Ramesh Chandra Majumdar p.274
  10. ^ Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala (1969). The deeds of Harsha: being a cultural study of Bāṇa's Harshacharita. Prithivi Prakashan. p. 118.