· 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 A.D.
· 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.
· 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.
· Bana was the court poet of Harsha.
· Hiuen Tsang was the Chinese traveler who visited India in the
seventh century A.D.
· 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.
· 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.
· The Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II mentions the defeat of Harsha by Pulakesin, who after this achievement assumed the title
Paramesvara. Hiuen Tsang‟s accounts also confirm the victory of
Pulakesin.
· 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.
· In his early life, Harsha was a devout Saiva but later he became an
ardent Hinayana Buddhist.
· Hiuen Tsang converted him to Mahayana Buddhism.
· Harsha prohibited the use of animal food in his kingdom and
punished those who kill any living being.
· Harsha organized a religious assembly at Kanauj to honour the
Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang towards the close of his reign. He
invited representatives of all religious sects. It was attended by 20
kings, 1000 scholars from the Nalanda University, 3000 Hinayanists
and Mahayanists, 3000 Brahmins and Jains. The Assembly went on
continuously for 23 days.
· Hiuen Tsang explained the values of Mahayana doctrine and
established its superiority over others. However, violence broke out
and there were acts of arson. There was also an attempt on the life of Harsha. Soon, it was brought under control and the guilty were
punished. On the final day of the Assembly, Hiuen Tsang was
honoured with costly presents.
· Hiuen Tsang mentions in his account about the conference held at
Allahabad, known as Prayag. It was the one among the conferences
routinely convened by Harsha once in five years.
· Cruel punishments of the Mauryan period continued in the times of
Harsha.
Western Chalukya ruler Pulakesin II. Both the accounts of Hiuen
Tsang and the inscriptions of Pulakesin II provide the details of this
campaign.
· The Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II mentions the defeat of Harsha by Pulakesin, who after this achievement assumed the title
Paramesvara. Hiuen Tsang‟s accounts also confirm the victory of
Pulakesin.
· 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.
· In his early life, Harsha was a devout Saiva but later he became an
ardent Hinayana Buddhist.
· Hiuen Tsang converted him to Mahayana Buddhism.
· Harsha prohibited the use of animal food in his kingdom and
punished those who kill any living being.
· Harsha organized a religious assembly at Kanauj to honour the
Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang towards the close of his reign. He
invited representatives of all religious sects. It was attended by 20
kings, 1000 scholars from the Nalanda University, 3000 Hinayanists
and Mahayanists, 3000 Brahmins and Jains. The Assembly went on
continuously for 23 days.
· Hiuen Tsang explained the values of Mahayana doctrine and
established its superiority over others. However, violence broke out
and there were acts of arson. There was also an attempt on the life of Harsha. Soon, it was brought under control and the guilty were
punished. On the final day of the Assembly, Hiuen Tsang was
honoured with costly presents.
· Hiuen Tsang mentions in his account about the conference held at
Allahabad, known as Prayag. It was the one among the conferences
routinely convened by Harsha once in five years.
· Cruel punishments of the Mauryan period continued in the times of
Harsha.