HISTORYPROJECT

DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSTIY

VISAKHAPATNAM, A. P., INDIA

PROJECT TITLE:

HARSHAVARDHANA DYNASTY

SUBJECT:

HISTORY

NAME OF THE FACULTY:

Dr. ViswachandraNath Madasu

NAME OF THE STUDENT:

G.SAIDEEP

ROLL NO:

18LLB077

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Acknowledgement
I would sincerely like to put forward my heart felt appreciation to our respected History
professor, Dr. Viswachandra Nath Madasu for giving me a golden opportunity to take up
this project regarding ―Harshavardhana dynasty‖. I have tried my best to collect
information about the project in various possible ways to depict clear picture about the
given project topic.

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 Contents
 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………..4

 POLTICAL BACKGROUND OF HARSHAVARDHANA DYNASTY………….6

 ACESSION………………………………………………………………………….9

 EARLY LIFE OF
HARSHA………………………………………………………..11

 ADIMINISTRATION………………………………………………………………12

 ADIMINSTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF THE EMPIRE………………………….14

 THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS…………………………………………………14

 BUREAUCRACY…………………………………………………………………..15

 REVUNE SYSTEM………………………………………………………………15

 PENAL SYSTEM……………………………………………………………….16

 SOCIETY AND ECONOMY CONDITIONS…………………………………17

 RELIGION……………………………………………………………………..18

 CULTURAL PROGRESS………………………………………………………..19

 HARSHA AS A PATRON OF LEARNING……………………………………..20

 HARSHA AND BUDDHISM……………………………………………………..20

 KANAUJ ASSEMBLY……………………………………………………………21

 HARSHA’S MILITARY CONQUESTS………………………………………….22

 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………23

 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………25

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 INTRODUCTION:

Harshavardhana was born in 590 AD to King Prabhakaravardhana of Sthaneshvara

(Thanesar, Haryana).He belonged to the Pushyabhuti also called Vardhana dynasty.
He was a Hindu who later embraced Mahayana Buddhism.He was married to Durgavati.
He had a daughter and two sons. His daughter married a king of Vallabhi whereas his sons
were killed by his own minister.
After Prabhakaravardhana died, his elder son Rajyavardhana ascended to the throne of
Thanesar. Harsha had a sister, Rajyashri who was married to king Grahavarman of
Kannauj. Sasanka, the Gauda king killed Grahavarman and kept Rajyashri prisoner. This
prompted Rajyavardhana to fight against Sasanka. But Sasanka killed
Rajyavardhana.This led the 16-year old Harshavardhana to ascend the throne of Thanesar
in 606 AD. He vowed to avenge his brother’s murder and also rescue his sister. For this,
he forged an alliance with Bhaskaravarman, the Kamarupa king. Harsha and
Bhaskaravarman marched against Sasanka. Ultimately, Sasanka left for Bengal and
Harsha became the king of Kannauj also On acquiring Kannauj, Harsha united the two
kingdoms of Thanesar and Kannauj. He moved his capital to Kannauj. After the fall of
the Guptas, North India was divided into many small kingdoms. Harsha was able to unite
many of them under his command. He had under his control Punjab and central India.
After Sasanka’s death, he annexed Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. He also defeated the
Vallabhi king in Gujarat. (The Vallabhi king and Harsha came to a truce by a marriage
between Harsha’s daughter and the Vallabhi king Dhruvabhata.)However, Harsha’s plans
to conquer lands to the south were hampered when the Chalukya king, Pulakesin II
defeated Harsha in 618-619 A.D. This sealed Harsha’s southern territorial limit as the
Narmada River. There were two types of territories under Harsha. One was directly under
him and the other type was those that were feudatories.
1. Direct territories: Central Provinces, Bengal, Kalinga, Rajputana, Gujarat
2. Feudatories: Jalandhar, Kashmir, Kamarupa, Sind, Nepal
Even the feudatories were under the tight command of Harsha. Harsha’s reign marked the
beginning of feudalism in India.Hiuen Tsang visited India during Harsha’s reign. He has
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 given a very favorable account of king Harsha and his empire. He praises his generosity
and justice. Harsha was a great patron of the arts. He himself was an accomplished writer.
He is credited with the Sanskrit works Ratnavali, Priyadarshika and
Nagananda.Banabhatta was his court poet and he composed the Harshacharita which
gives an account of Harsha’s life and deeds. Harsha generously supported the Nalanda
University. He had a good tax structure. 1/4th of all the taxes collected were used for
charity and for cultural purposes. Harsha was a competent military conqueror and an able
administrator. Harsha was the last king to rule over a vast empire in India before the
invasions by the Muslims.

The civil administration of Harsha Vardhana is highly praised. The king personally
supervised the administration instead of relying upon the bureaucrats. He constantly
toured the provinces and administered justice to all. Rural and urban areas received his
equal attention. During this tour in the manner of state procession with music and drums
he used to punish the guilty and made contact with the people.

Harsha divided his day to three parts for attending three sets of state business. He was
assisted by a council of ministers, known as the Mantri-Parishad, who advises him in all
important affairs concerning the state and on matters of foreign policy. There were host
of other high and low officers to manage the day to day governmental activities.

The whole empire of Harsha was divided into a number of ‘bhuktis’ or provinces which

again were subdivided into number of `Vishayas’ or districts. Each of these ‘Vishayas’ or
districts consisted of number of gramas or villages.

Land, custom, tolls etc. were the main source of revenue. But the tax-burden was rather
light. Bhaga, Hiranya and Bali were the three main taxes: Bhaga was the land tax.
Hiranya was the tax paid in cash either by peasants or by merchants. Bali was probably
an extra tax collected in emergency. There was stability and peace in his empire. Hiuen-
Tsang told us that during the reign of Harshavardhana there were very few criminals and
rebel. Whoever offended the law was strictly punished. The principal mode of
punishment were mainly mutilation of limbs, banishment into the jungles, imprisonment

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etc. Trial by ordeal was also in vogue.Harsha died in 647 AD after ruling for 41 years.
Since he died without any heirs, his empire disintegrated very soon after his death.

Political back ground of harshavardhana dynasty:

After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of sixth century CE, several
independent states rose to power in southern and northern India. The prominent
kingdoms in the north were- the Huṇas in the north-west, the later Guptas of Magadha,
the Maitrakas of Vallabhi, and Maukhris of Kanauj. Main dynasties of Southern India
were-the Pallavas of Kanchi, the Chalukyas of Badami and the Paṇḍayas of Madurai. In
such circumstances, Pushyabhuti1 established the Vardhana kingdom in Thanesvara. The
most famous and powerful ruler of this dynasty was Harshavardhana (606-647 CE). After
the decline of Vardhana dynasty, many Rajput kingdoms were established in the northern
India from 647-1192 CE. This period is known as the Rajput Age in the history of India.
Feudalism was a peculiar feature of Early Medieval India. This feudal system developed
to the highest peak during the Rajput Age. From seventh century to twelfth century CE,
three prominent dynasties raised to power in south India i.e. the Chalukyas of Vatapi, the
Rastrakutas as and the Cholas. The Pala dynasty of Bengal also played a very important
role in the northern India.

In fact, the political history of India during 7-12th century CE saw multiplicity of powers,
which were rooted to their respective regions. The hallmark of politics of this period lies
in the emergence and development of local and regional powers. The conventional
narrative of the political history of this period is replete with exaggerated careers and
achievements of numerous heroes based on the eulogies an account that rarely offers an
intelligible understanding of the political processes and activities.

Royal inscriptions usually begin with a prasasti-like eulogy of the entire ruling house 2.
Many rulers of these dynasties of different kingdom of this period were great patrons of

1
Radha Kumud Mookerji, Harsha, p. 10.
2
Ranabir Chakravarti, Exploring Early India up to c. AD 1300, p. 293.
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literature. Some rulers, himself were scholar also, whose name was attached with the
writings.

Harshavardhana became the king of Thanesara at the tender age of 16 year, after the
death of his elder brother Rajyavardhana. Harsha made Kanauj his seat of power 3. By the
seventh century CE, Pataliputra loosing his supremacy and was not the main centre of
power, losing its reputation, other side Kanauj was taking the main place in the north
Indian politics. Harsha is known for his religious tolerance, able administration and
diplomatic relations. He established an administrative system of a high order, the object
of which was welfare of people. Although he was patron of Buddhism, yet he exhibited
tolerance towards other religions. He was also a scholar and poet and the historian called
him the last great Hindu emperor of India, but he was neither a staunch Hindu nor the
ruler of the whole country4

Harsha was not only a great conqueror and efficient administrator 5 but also a scholar of
high order. He himself was a great scholar and literary figure. He wrote three plays -
Ratnavali, Priyadarsika and Nagananda6. His court poet named Banabhatta wrote
Harshacharita7 and Kadambari These writings throw valuable light on the political,
economic, social and religious conditions of the seventh century CE, and great
importance from the historical point view. Harsha used to spend one fourth of his income
on scholastic activities. gave impetus to literary activities. Mayura, Matanga, Divakara,
Bhartrihari etc were the famous scholars of the Court of Harsha. Nalanda was the most
famous university of the ancient India. It had international fame. During Harsha’s time,
its glory was at its zenith. According to Hiuen-Tsang, Nalanda was the most famous and
greatest university of India.

After the death of Harshavardhana and the establishment of Muslim rule in North India,
between this periods saw the rise of many regional states. These developments
simultaneously took place in the north as well as in the south India also. The Palas in the
3
Radha Kumud Mookerji, op.cit., p. 20.
4
R.S. Sharma, India’s Ancient Past, p. 260.
5
E.I., Vol. VIII, pp. 159-160.
6
A. B. Keith, Sanskrit Drama, p.170.

7
Ed. By P.V. Kane
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eastern and some portion of northern-India, the Pratiharas in the western and northern
India and the Rashtrakutas who ruled in the Deccan and had territories in the north and
south India at different times, were the significant dynasties. North India witnessed the
struggle for political ascendancy among these three dynasties from eighth century to
eleventh century CE. The aim of political ascendancy was to conquer and hold the city of
Kanauj. Kanauj had become a symbol of status those who will be the ruler of Kanauj at
that time, it was considered that he would be owner of North India. Kanauj was a symbol
of power due to its connection with Harsha and Yasvarmana, who maintained this status
for the city. Kanauj was a bone of contention among the three powers i.e. the Pala, the
Pratihara and Rashtrakuta8 and much of the military activities of these powers directed
towards its conquests. In this long drawn struggle, all the three powers grew weaker.
Consequently, the Senas in Bengal and the Chalukyas in south established their kingdoms
and the Pratihara Empire were divided into several small principalities.

Considering the clear interests of both the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas in
capturing and controlling the strategically vital Malava region, it has also been inferred
that the cause of disagreement really lay in that area and not in Kanauj. Therefore, the
importance of Kanauj was more symbolic than real and the period cannot be seen as the
“Age of Imperial Kanauj”9. The Palas were great patrons of art and literature.
Dharampala was a great patron of Buddhism. He was the founder 10 of the Vikramsila
monastery that ultimately developed into a great centre of Buddhist learning and culture.
The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar for more than four century. The rule of the Pala dynasty
ended about the middle of the twelfth century CE. The Pratiharas were probably an
offshoot of the Gurjara who ruled after the Huṇas. Mihirbhoja (836-885 CE) was the
most powerful ruler of this dynasty. A new and glorious chapter began in the history of
the Pratiharas with the accession of King Bhoja. The Arab traveler Sulemana has praised
his rule. His successor Mahendrapala (885-910 CE) also became quite famous. He was
not only a conqueror but also a great lover of art and literature. Rajasekhara was the most
reputed court poet of Mahendrapala11. In Rashstrakuta, Amoghvarsa I (814-878 CE) was

8
S. C. Raychoudhary, SCEHI(AT), pp. 109-10.
9
Ranabir Chakravarti, op. cit., p. 300.
10
P. N. Chopra etc. (Ed.), A New Advanced History of India, p. 160.
11
Baij Nath Puri, The History of the Gujara-Pratiharas, p. 72.
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the important ruler. His reign is known for peace law and order, development of art and
literature. He himself wrote Rattan Malika, Kaviajamaga. Indra III (914-922 CE) and
12
Krishṇa III, the conqueror of the Pallava and Chola country were the most powerful
rulers of this dynasty but after them, this dynasty met its downfall.

Accession :
Amids political confusions a new power was beginning to rise in the eastern part of the
Punjab on the bank of river Saraswati with Thaneswar or Thanesar as its centre.
Prabhakar Vardhan of the Pushyabhuti dynasty became powerful by the close of 6th
century. Bana in his Harsha Charita describes Prabhakar Vardhan as a ‘lion to the Huna
doer, the lord of Gandhara etc.

Prabhakar Vardhan had two sons namely Rajya Vardhan and Harsha Vardhan and a
daughter Rajyasri. The two young princes were well trained in soldierly profession of
horsemanship, archery and swords play and princess Rajyasri was trained in music and
other accomplishment.

Rajyasri while young was given in marriage to the Maukhari prince Grahavarman of
Kanauj. Soon after the marriage of his daughter Prabhakar Vardhan faced the attack of
the Hunas in the North. He immediately sent his eldest son Rajya Vardhan who was then
only 18 years in age to face the Hunas. Harsha Vardhan who was only 15 years old
followed his brother with a cavalry force. Before Harsha had joined his brother news
reached him that the old king was seriously ill. Harsha getting the news returned back to
the capital to see his father breathing his last. In profound sorrow he sent swift
messengers to the front requesting his elder brother to return immediately.

Rajya Vardhan defeating the Hunas returned back though himself wounded to the capital.
He was so much depressed at the death of his father that he asked Harsha to take the
throne expressing his desire to renounce the world. On the pressure and request of
Harsha, Rajya Vardhan changed his mind and became the king13. Hardly he had come to
the throne when the tragic news reached him that the king of Kanauj Grahavarman his
12
E1, Vol. VII, p. 135; Vol. V, pp. 189-192.
13
Ratnavali of emperor Shiri Harsha by Prof. Ashoknath bhattacharya
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brother-in-law had been defeated and killed by Devagupta the king of Malwa and that
Rajyasri had been captured and thrown into a prison in Kanauj.

King Rajya Vardhan immediately hurried with cavalry force to recover Kanauj from the
hands of the enemy and to save his sister from danger. Harsha was left in charge of the
capital. Rajya Vardhan defeated the army of Malwa but fate was against him. The king of
Gauda Sasanka who was a friend of the king of Malwa lured Rajya Vardhan to
confidence by false show of friendship and when Rajya Vardhan was alone and armless
he was attacked and killed treacherously.

So ended the reign of Rajya Vardhan. Harsh’s sorrows knew no bounds when he received
the socking news at Thaneswara. At this critical juncture the ministers and officers of the
Kingdom rose to the occasion to save the situation when Harsha expressed the feeling of
detachment towards the throne. Bhandi, the Chief Minister summoned meeting of the
Council of Minister and proposed that Harsha as he was strongly attached to his family,
to the people, the people should have trust in him. All the minister agreed to accept
Harsha as the new king and together with others pleaded with the prince to accept the
kingship. Thus Harsha ascended the throne of Thaneswar in the year 606 AD at the age
of sixteen only.

It was also necessary for the young king to take over the administration of the Kingdom
of Kanauj where the throne was laying vacant. In due course of time Harsha made Kanauj
the capital of the United Kingdom Thaneswar and Kanauj. He wanted to be known as
prince or Rajputra siladitya which has became famous in history. He started the Harsha
era in 606 AD.

Conquest—coming to the throne at a critical time when enemies were active, Harsha
immediately decided upon a course of adventure and aggression. He embarked upon a
new political career through war and conquest. Accordingly he prepared his plan for his
‘digvijaya’ to punish the king of Gauda and other enemy kings. He directed his War
Minister to demand from the neighbouring kings their immediate homage to him.

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While preparing for his ‘digvijaya’, Harsha thought it to be his first duty to rescue his
sister Rajyasri. Chief Minister Bhandi brought the socking news that Rajyasri soon after
she was thrown into prison in Kanauj managed to escape from her confinement and had
gone away towards the Vindhya forests14. Harsha getting the news immediately
proceeded towards the Vindhya region and rescued his sister when she was about to
throw herself into fire and die. With that noble work done Harsha became free to conduct
his military campaigns. Thus with almost of the north India from the Himalayas to the
river Narmada in the south, and from Ganjam in the eastern coast to Valabhi in the
western coast the empire of Harsha was one of the most extensive empires of Indian
history. Harsha ruled his empire from his capital at Kanauj on the bank of the Ganges
bounded with majestic buildings, beautiful gardens and tanks of clean water.

Early Life of Harsha:

Pushyabhuti was The founder of the family of Harsha . 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 Prabhakaravardhana15. 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 themeantime,
Rajyasri escaped into forests. 

Harsha now succeeded his brother at Thaneswar. His first responsibility was to rescue his
sister and to avenge the killings of his brother and brother-in-law. He first rescued his
sister when she was about to immolate herself.

14
Political history of ancient India by Prof Hemachandra Raychaudhuri
15
History of Medieval Hindu India by C.V Vaidya
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Administration:
Hieun Tsang the Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the reign of Harsha gave a
detailed account of Harsha’s administration16. Harsha took keen interest in
administration. Instead of depending on the officials he paid special stress on personal
supervision. He used to visit and inspect posts throughout his dominion. He never used to
stay long in a particular place. His purpose of visit was to punish the corrupt officials and
wrongdoers and reward the good and honest persons. According to Hieun Tsang “He was
indefatigable and forgot sleep and food in his devotion to work for good”.

He maintained a Council of Ministers Mantriparisad to assist him. For the convenience of

administration, the entire empire was divided into provinces and each province was
placed under the control of a viceroy or Governor. Provinces were known as Bhukti and
each province was divided into districts called “Visayas” managed by one officer
designated as Visayapati. Each Visaya was further divided into Tehsils or Pathakas. The
smallest divisions were known as ‘Uparika’. The village headman was called ‘Gramika’.

The government was based on benign principle and with the motto of serving the people.
The administration was tuned accordingly. The government officials were paid salaries in
kinds but the soldiers were paid in cash. The penal code was very severe. Treason against
the king was punished by lifelong imprisonment. For offences against social morality and
disloyal conduct the punishment was either mutilation of limbs or deportation of the
offender to another country or into wilderness. Trial by ordeal was in general practice.

Harsha was a true representative of ancient monarchy in its finest form. In theory the king
was absolute and all powerful but in practice he enjoyed limited power being subject to
the rules of Dharma the laws and customs of the land and to the wise advice of the
ministers and courtiers. He was the supreme law maker, the Chief Executive and the
fountain of justice. He was the central figure of the entire administrative machinery.
Harsha added a new feature to the traditional administrative practice of his personal
supervision of governmental work both in urban and rural areas by which he could collect
the first hand knowledge about the conditions of the people.

16
Ratnavali of emperor Shiri Harsha by Prof. ashoknath bhattacharya
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Except rainy season the emperor used to make extensive tours of inspection. Harsha
remained so devoted to his works that it became difficult even for kings to get an
interview with him. He divided his day into three parts one of which was kept exclusively
for state affairs. Harsha believed in the self government of the countless village
communities. During the time of Harsha his Council of Ministers used to work in an
effective manner. It took vital decisions in times of crisis. A Chief Minister was heading
the council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers was also the decision making body on
foreign affairs and War. Besides the Chief Minister other ministers also shouldered
important responsibilities.

Harsha maintained an efficient civil service. The chief officers who directly received
instructions and orders from the king were Mahasamanta, Maharaja, Pramatara or
Spiritual adviser, Rajasthaniya Kumaramatya, Uparika, and Visayapati etc. In general the
taxation policy was very liberal17. The people were not subject to oppressive economic
measures individuals were subject to forced labour. The share of the king was one sixth
of the agricultural produce. Madhuban Copper Plate reveals that king used to collect two
types of taxes from villages. One was Tulya.

Meya or the taxes depending on the weight and measures of the articles sold and the other
was the “Bhaga-bhoga-Kara hiranyadi” or the share of the produce. Revenue was
collected from the trade and commerce but duties on goods were very low. The
government maintained the accounts of the good times and bad times of natural or public
calamities.

 Administrative Divisions of the Empire:

Harsha’s Empire was divided into several provinces. The number of such provinces is not
known. Each province was divided into Bhuktis18. And each Bhukti was divided into

17
www.culturalindia.net

18
Ratnavali of emperor Shiri Harsha by Prof. ashoknath bhattacharya
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several Vishayas. They were like the districts. Each vishaya was further divided into
Pathakas. Each such area was divided into several villages.

The villages were looked after by their headmen. The government did not interfere with
the freedom of the villages in their usual ways of existence. The bigger territorial
divisions of the empire were no doubt, controlled by the centre. But a system of
decentralisation also worked for better management of various units. Harsha’s personal
inspections kept the territorial units in order, and there was co-ordination between the
central and provincial administrations.

The Council of Ministers:

During the time of Harsha his Council of Ministers worked in an effective manner. It
took vital decisions in times of crisis. There was a Chief Minister to head the Council of
Ministers. Bhandi, the Chief Minister or Rajya Vardhana, played a notable role in
bringing Harsha to the vacant throne when his brother died. He proposed before his
Council to request a reluctant Harsha to assume the royal authority while giving each
member the freedom of opinion on his proposal19. When all members of the Council
agreed with the Chief Minister, the young prince was prevailed upon to become the king.
This episode proves that the ministers of the state were responsible for taking grave
decisions in the interests of the state.

The Council of Ministers also was a decision-making body on foreign affairs and war.
For example, when Rajya Vardhana went out to fight his enemies and ultimately accepted
their invitation after victory, he was doing so on the advice of his Council of Ministers. It
was a wrong advice which resulted in the murder of the young king.

Besides the Chief Minister, other ministers also shouldered important responsibilities. It
is known from Bana that a minister named Avanti was the Minister for Foreign Relations

19
History of Medieval Hindu India by C.V Vaidya
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and War under Harsha20. As the king alone could not have carried the burdens of an
imperial government, the ministers discharged their part of duty in helping the king.

Bureaucracy:

Harsha maintained an efficient civil service. The importance of some of the higher
officers of the state is known from their designations. The chief officers who directly
received instructions and orders from the king were Mahasamanta, Maharaja, Pramatara
or Spiritual Adviser, Rajasthaniya, Kumaramatya, Uparika, and Vishayapati, etc. Besides
these, there were the Commander-in-Chief, the chief of the Cavalry Forces, and the Chief
Commandant of the Elephant Force21.

According to Hiuen Tsang, the ministers of the king and the officers were paid their
salaries not in cash but in grants of land. Even cities were assigned to them. One-fourth of
the crown lands was kept apart “for the endowment of great public servants”, another
fourth part “for the expenses of government and state-worship”.

Revenue System:

Much light is thrown by the Chinese pilgrim on the revenue system of Harsha. In
general, the taxation policy was liberal. The people were not subjected to oppressive
economic measures. As Hiuen Tsang says: “Official requirements are few … families are
not registered and individuals were not subject to forced labour contributions. Taxation
being very light and forced service being sparingly used, everyone keeps to his hereditary
occupation and attends to his patrimony”.

In Harsha’s Empire, the king’s share was one-sixth of the agricultural produce. It is
known from the Madhuvana Copper Plate that the king’s dues from a village were of two
kinds. One was the Tulya-meya or the taxes depending on the weight and measures of the
things sold. The other was the Bhagablioga kara-hiranyadi or the share of the produce,
taxes, and payments in cash from other sources of income 22. Revenues were also earned
from trade and commerce. But duties on goods were light. The revenue of the state,
20
www.culturalindia.net
21
Political history of ancient India by Prof Hemachandra Raychaudhuri
22
Ratnavali of emperor Shiri Harsha by Prof. ashoknath bhattacharya
15 | P a g e
according to Hiuen Tsang, was spent for four main purposes as public expenditure. They
were, one part for the expenses of the Government, and state-worship; one part as the
endowment of great public servants; one part as reward to persons of high intellectual
eminence; and one part for gifts to various religious sects23. The governments maintained
zrecords of good times and bad times like the times of natural or public calamities. The
soldiers and smaller officers of the state were paid their salary in cash.

Penal System:

The penal system under Harsha was a curious mixture of both the Maurya severity and
the Gupta leniency. It may be noted that Harsha consolidated his power by putting down
anarchical conditions under petty rulers. He had to win the people’s confidence by a
forceful penal system. The Penal Code, therefore, was made severe, though applied with
moderation. Treason against the state and the king was considered a great crime and
traitors were punished by life-long imprisonment. For crimes against the society, for
immorality, and for anti-social conduct, the offenders suffered mutilation of limbs, or
deportation to an outside country, or into wild forests. Hiuen Tsang informs that the
criminals and rebels were very few in number. But, the crime was there nevertheless. For
example, Hiuen Tsang himself suffered in hands of the robbers at some distance from the
capital itself. He faced the same misfortune more than once. While in the days of the
Guptas, the Chinese traveler Fa-Hien moved freely and suffered no attack, in the days of
Harsha, Hiuen Tsang did not find travelling safe24. It shows that greater crimes might
have been less or rare, but smaller crimes were there. For such offenses, small fines were
imposed, and the criminals were left to live their life as condemned persons. Unlike the
Maurya penal system, force or tortures were not used in the time of Harsha to obtain
confession of their crimes from the criminals. On the whole, Harsha’s administration
created fear in the mind of men by a thorough penal code; though in practice, the
punishments were not turned into a cruel system. With these features, Harsha’s
government managed a large empire by generosity and efficiency, under the direct
supervision of a dutiful emperor.

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Society and Economy Conditions:

 Both Bana and Hiuen Tsang portray the social life in the times of Harsha. The
fourfold division of the society – Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudra – was prevalent.
The Brahmins were the privileged section of the society and they were given land grants
by the kings. The Kshatriyas were the ruling class. The Vysyas were mainly traders. 

Hiuen Tsang mentions that the Sudras practiced agriculture. There existed many sub
castes25. The position of women was not satisfactory.The institution of Swyamvara (the
choice of choosing her husband) had declined. Remarriage of widows was not permitted,
particularly among the higher castes. The system of dowry had also become common.
The practice of sati was also prevalent. Hiuen Tsang mentions three ways of disposal of
the dead – cremation, water burial and exposure in the woods. The trade and commerce
had declined during Harsha’s period. This is evident from the decline of trade centres,
less number of coins, and slow activities of merchant guilds. The decline of trade in turn
affected the handicrafts industry and agriculture. Since there was no large scale demand
for goods, the farmers began to produce only in a limited way. This led to the rise of self-
sufficient village economy26. In short, there was a sharp economic decline as compared to
the economy of the Gupta period.

There was fourfold Varna system in place comprising- Brahmins, kshtriya, Vysya, and
Sudra.Brahmins received land grants from the king, Kshtriyas were the ruling class,
Vysyas were involved in trading and Sudras practiced agriculture. There were many sub-
castes.

Position of Women: Women lost the privileges of Swayamvar(the choice of choosing

the husband), Widow remarriage was not permitted, especially among higher castes. The
practice of Dowry and Sati became prevalent.

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Burial of dead: dead were disposed either by cremation, water burial or exposure in the
woods.

During Harshavardhana’s reign, trade and commerce declined, as depicted by an decrease

in trade centres.This decline also affected handicraft and agriculture. This also led to rise
of self-sufficient village economy.

Religion:
The founder of the dynasty Pushyabhuti was a devotee of Siva. Harsha’s father Prabhakar
Vardhan “offered daily to the sun a bunch red lotuses”, his brother RajyaVardhan and
sister Rajyasri were deeply attached to the Hinayana form of Budhism and Harsha
himself was a strong believer of Mahayana Budhism in the later part of his life. In the
beginning he was a follower of Hinduism and used to worship the Lord Siva and the Sun
like his ancestors27.

Due to his contact with luminous personality like Hieun Tsang and the influence of his
brother and sister Harsha embraced Budhism and followed Mahayana faith of Buddhism.
Therefore like Asoka and Kaniska he utilized state machinery to popularize Buddhism
and forbade the killing of any living creature or the consumption of meat throughout the
empire. Harsha began to summon a meeting of the Buddhist Sangha for the purpose of
examination and discussion on Budhism. In such meetings the good energetic and learned
monks were rewarded and the incompetent monks were penalized.

Harsha took steps to get the existing monasteries repaired and built a large number of
stupas, viharas, rest houses for the benefit of the Buddhist monks. He extended financial
aid and various encouragements to the Buddhist monks. At the interval of every five
years Harsha used to summon a religious assembly at Prayag near Allahabad. Altogether
six such assemblies were held and Hieun Tsang attended the sixth assembly held in
643AD. The ceremonials lasted for seventy five days during which the Buddha, the Siva
and the sun were worshipped in different dates. The proceedings were opened by a
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magnificent procession of feudatory princes and ended with distribution of alms to the
Buddhists, the Brahmans, poor, needy persons and members of other sects. Due to
generous distribution of alms the treasury used to get exhausted and Harsha had to
borrow a second hand dress from Rajyasri for his use. In the honour of Hieun Tsang
Harsha organised a splendid assembly at Kanauj in March 64328. There was a mammoth
gathering of Buddhists, Vrahmans, Jains and tributary Rajas including Bhaskaravarman
and Dhrubadutta of Balabhi and one thousand learned monks from Nalanda. Golden
image of Budha of the stature of king Harsha was installed in a tower. A smaller image
three feet in light was carried in a procession every day. The king himself carried the
canopy upholding over the golden image and while proceeding the king scattered golden
blossoms, pearls, and other precious gems on all sides in honour of the three jewels, the
Budha, Dharma and Sangha. The ceremony lasted for 18 days where he took many steps
to promote Mahayana faith of Budhism.

Cultural Progress:

The art and architecture of Harsha’s period are very few and mostly followed the Gupta
style. Hiuen Tsang describes the glory of the monastery with many storeys built by
Harsha at Nalanda. He also speaks of a copper statue of Buddha with eight feet in
height.The brick temple of Lakshmana at Sirpur with its rich architecture is assigned to
the period of Harsha. Harsha was a great patron of learning. His biographer Banabhatta
adorned his royal court. BesidesHarshacharita, he wrote Kadambari. Other literary
figures in Harsha’s court were Matanga Divakara and the famous Barthrihari, who was
the poet, philosopher and grammarian. Harsha himself authored three plays -Ratnavali,
Priyadarsika andNagananda. Harsha patronised the Nalanda University by his liberal
endowments. It attained international reputation as a centre of learning during his reign.
Hiuen Tsang visited the Nalanda University and remained as a student for some time.

Harsha as Patron of Learning:

Harsha was himself a great scholar who authored several dramas. Harsha Siladitya as
a poet and a dramatist made noteworthy contributions to the literature of his time. As a
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Buddhist king he wrote hymns relating to Budhism. Two of such works were the Ashta-
Maha- Srichaitya-Stotra or (a hymn to the eight great Chaityas and the Suprabhata-Stotra
a hymn of the dawn to Budha). Harsha authored three famous dramas.

They were Naganand, Ratnavali and Priyadarsika. All the three were romantic comedies.
Harsha was so famous in the literary world that Jayadeva, the celebrated author of Gita
Govinda compared him with Kalidas and Bhasa. He was also a patron of poets and
scholars. The most renowned among them was Bana Bhatta.

Under the engagement of Harsha hundred of poems were composed on the previous lives
of Buddha which were presented to him as the Jatakamala. Harsha’s fame as a learned
king was known to the Buddhists of China during his life time and after. It was during the
time Harsha Siladitya that the great University of Nalanda was made a great centre of
learning where pupils from distant places and foreign countries used to come for
education and learning29. The students received free education and liberal grants. Harsha
took exhaustive steps to promote learning.

It was a centre of advanced post-graduate studies in various studies. Foreign students

from countries like Korea, Japan, China, Mongolia, Tibet and Ceylone came to Nalanda
for their higher learning. Hieun Tsang himself studied Yoga in Nalanda for long five
years under the guidance of the chancellor of the University Silabhadra.

During the period when Hieun Tsang studied there Nalanda had 8500 students. The
subjects of study were both Brahmanical and Buddhist Sacred and Secular, Sciences and
Humanities, Arts and Crafts and Vedas including Atharvaveda, Hetrividya (Logic)
Sabdavidya (Grammar) Chikitsavidya (Medicine) Samkhya, Yoga, Naya and the like.
Harsha patronised the University by remitting the revenues of about a hundred villages to
Nalanda. The Nalanda University of Harsha’s time was a bright example of ancient
India’s academic excellence30.

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Harsha and Buddhism: 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. He erected thousands of stupas and established travellers’ rests all over his
kingdom. He also erected monasteries at the sacred places of Buddhists. Once in five
years he convened a gathering of representatives of all religions and honoured them with
gifts and costly presents. He brought the Buddhist monks together frequently to discuss
and examine the Buddhist doctrine.

Kanauj Assembly: 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 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.

Harsha’s Military Conquests: 

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 II31. Both the accounts of Hiuen Tsang and the inscriptions of Pulakesin II
provide the details of this campaign. Harsha with an ambition to extend his kingdom

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south of the Narmada River marched against the Chalukya ruler. But 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 led another
campaign against the ruler of Sindh, which was an independent kingdom. But, it is
doubtful whether his Sind campaign was a successful one. Nepal had accepted Harsha’s
overlordship. 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. Thus Harsha established his hold over the whole of north India. The regions
modern Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa were under his direct control.
But his sphere of influence was much more extensive 32. The peripheral states such as
Kashmir, Sind, Valabhi and Kamarupa acknowledged his sovereignty.

CONCLUSION
Several independent kingdoms rose to power after the decline of Gupta empire.
Harshavardhana was the most important king in the seventh century CE. He was a man of
letter. He was not only the poet/author himself but also he was the great patron of art and
literature. Harshavardhana is called the last great Hindu emperor of India, but he was
neither a staunch Hindu nor the ruler of the whole country. Due to spend of one fourth of
his income on scholastic activities, gave impetus to literary activities. During Harsha‟s

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time, glory of Nalanda was at its zenith. After the death of Harsha and the establishment
of Muslim rule in North India, between these periods, many regional states established.
These developments simultaneously took place in the north as well as in the south India
also.
Dharmapala was not only patron of Buddhism but also great patron of art and literature.
During his period, the Vikramsila monastery that ultimately developed into a great centre
of Buddhist learning and culture. A new and glorious chapter began in the history of the
Pratiharas with the accession of king Bhoja. The Arab traveler Suleana was praised his
rule. Rajasekhara was the most reputed court-poet of Mahendrapala. Amoghavarsha‟s
reign is known for peace, law and order and development of art and literature.
Early medieval period is also known as Rajput age (650-1200 or 647-1192 CE), because
several Rajput kingdoms came into existence in different parts of India. Feudalism
developed to the highest peak during the Rajput age. Feudal system laid more emphasis
on agriculture than on trade and industry. As a result, the growth of towns and cities came
to a halt. Dhara, capital of Raja Bhoja‟s kingdom, became a great centre of learning. He
was not only a learned man but also patronized the learned people. The Chandela kings
built memorable monuments especially of Khajuraho temples, which are the living
examples of their exceptional skill of architecture.

BIBLOGRAPHY

BOOKS:
1. Ratnavali of emperor Sri Harsha by Prof Ashokanath Bhattacharya
2. Political history of ancient India by Prof Hemachandra Raychaudhuri
3. History of Medieval Hindu India by C.V Vaidya

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WEBSITES:
1. www.rarebooksocietyofindia.org
2. www.historydiscussion.net
3. www.culturalindia.net

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