Harshavardhana was one of the most important Indian emperors of the 7th Century. He was from the Pushyabhuti Dynasty. He was also known as Lord of North.

After the fall of the Gupta Empire, an important ruling family gained prominence which was Pushyabhuti Dynasty Of Thaneswar(Kurukshetra). And the two major historical sources from where we get to know about this dynasty was Harshacharita ( a biography of Harsha written by Banabhatta) and Travelogue (by Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang)

Prabhakara Vardhana, the first king of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, was instrumental in consolidating the small republics and monarchical states that had sprung up in North India after the downfall of the Gupta dynasty. When Prabhakara Vardhana passed away in 605 CE, his eldest son Rajya Vardhana became the new ruler. Harshavardhana was Rajya Vardhana’s brother and they also had a sister named Rajyashri. Rajyashri went on to marry the Maukhari King Grahavarman. Rajyashri’s husband, King Grahavarman, was defeated by the Malwa King Devagupta and Rajyashri was imprisoned. King Devagupta was now ruling over the subjects of King Grahavarman. Also, Rajyashri was ill-treated during her stay in the prison. Unable to tolerate the treatment given to his sister, Rajya Vardhana marshalled his troops into the kingdom of Devagupta and managed to defeat him. Around the same time, a Gauda ruler Shashanka entered Rajya Vardhana’s kingdom. Unfortunately, Rajya Vardhana failed to make out the motive behind Shashanka’s entry into his kingdom. Shashanka had posed as Rajya Vardhana’s friend, and had gained knowledge about his military affairs. But in reality, Shashanka was an ally of Rajya Vardhana’s arch-rival. Rajya Vardhana never suspected Shashanka’s intentions and he eventually paid the price for it as he was murdered by Shashanka. When Harshavardhana came to know about his brother’s death, he waged a war against Shashanka and defeated him convincingly. He then ascended the throne and took over the leadership of the Vardhana dynasty at the age of 16.

During the peak of Harshavardhana’s reign, his empire extended from north India to the Narmada River in central India. His rule was renowned for peace, stability and prosperity, and attracted many artists and scholars from far and wide. 

Administration and the Empire-

Harshavardhana ruled over entire North India from 606 to 647 CE. It is said that Harshavardhana’s empire reminded many of the great Gupta Empire as his administration was similar to that of the administration of the Gupta Empire. There was no slavery in his empire and people were free to lead their life according to their wish. His empire also took good care of the poor by building rest houses that provided all the amenities required. In many texts, Harshavardhana has been described as a noble emperor who made sure all his subjects stayed happy. He did not impose heavy taxes on his people and the economy was somewhat self-sufficient. His capital Kannauj (in present-day Uttar Pradesh) attracted many artists, poets, religious leaders and scholars who travelled from far and wide. He also maintained cordial relations with the Chinese. He even sent an Indian mission to China, establishing a diplomatic relationship between India and China. The famous Chinese monk and traveller Xuanzang spent eight years in his empire. He later recorded his experiences and even praised Harshavardhana for the way he went about ruling his empire. During his rule, Harshavardhana built a strong army. Historical records suggest that he had 100,000 strong cavalries, 50,000 infantry and 60,000 elephants during the peak of his reign. He was also a patron of literature and art. Thanks to the numerous endowments that were made to the Nalanda University, a mighty wall enclosing the edifices of the university was constructed during his rule. This wall saved the university from attack and invasions by the enemies and that ensured the prosperity of this great centre of learning. Harshavardhana’s interest in the field of prose and poetry is well-documented.

The emperor himself was a skilled writer as he had penned down three Sanskrit plays, namely ‘Ratnavali’, ‘Priyadarsika’ and ‘Nagananda.’

Harshavardhana’s kingdom was one of the earliest Indian kingdoms where we can see the practice of feudalism. This was similar to the feudal grants of Europe. Independent rulers, collectively known as ‘Mahasamantas,’ paid tribute to Harshavardhana and also helped him by supplying military reinforcements. This played an important role in the expansion of Harshavardhana’s empire.Being one of the largest Indian empires of the 7th Century CE, it covered the entire North and Northwestern India. In the east, his empire extended till Kamarupa and ran all the way down to the Narmada River. It is said that his empire was spread across the present day states of Orissa, Bengal, Punjab and the whole of Indo-Gangetic plain. 

Economy and Society during Harsha’s rule:

• There was fourfold Varna system in place comprising- Brahmins, kshtriya, Vysya, and Sudra.
• Brahmins received land grants from the king, Kshatriyas 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.
• 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 during Harsha’s Reign:

Harshavardhan was a Shaiva follower in the beginning but gradually embraced Buddhism. He was a tolerant ruler. It is believed that Hiuen Tsang converted him to Mahayana Buddhism. Harsha prohibited animal slaughter for food in his kingdom. He also erected various Stupa and established travellers’ resthouse all over his kingdom. He conducted a gathering of representatives of all religions once in every five years. Two of them are important:

Kannauj Assembly:

• It was presided over by Hiuen Tsang.
• 20 kings, 1000 scholars of Nalanda University, 3000 Brahmins and Jains attended this assembly at Kannauj.
• It continued till 23 days.
• Here Hiuen Tsang explained and established superiority of values of Mahayana doctrine over others.
• However, violence broke out and an assassination attempt was made on Harsha’s life.

Allahabad Assembly also known as Prayag Assembly:

• It was held for 75 days where quinquennial distribution by the king to the people happened.
• Hiuen Tsang was invited by Harshavardhan to withdraw this sixth distribution of alms and gifts(Maha Moksha Parishad) at Prayag.
• Hiuen Tsang writes that Harsha actually gave away everything in the royal treasury.

End of Harsha-
After ruling over most parts of North India for more than 40 years, King Harshavardhana left for the holy abode in the year 647 CE. Since he did not have any heirs his empire collapsed and disintegrated rapidly into small states. The demise of King Harshavardhana marked the end of the mighty Vardhana dynasty.