King harshavardhana

FINAL DRAFT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF COURSE TITLED

INDIAN HISTORY FOR COMPLETION OF B.A.LLB. (HONS.) IN
ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-20

Submitted to - Submitted by –
Dr. Priya Darshini Kumar Utsav
Faculty of Indian History Roll no. - 2123
1st semester,B.A.LLB(Hons)

23rd SEPTEMBER, 2019

Chanakya National Law University,

Nyaya Nagar, Mithapur, Patna (Bihar)
 DECLARATION
I, Kumar Utsav, hereby declare that the work reported in B.A. LL.B (Hons.)
project report titled “King Harshvardhana” submitted at Chanakya National
Law University, Patna is an authentic record of my work carried out under the
supervision of Dr. Priya Darshini. I have not submitted this work from
elsewhere and I am fully responsible for the contents of my project report.

KUMAR UTSAV
ROLL NO. – 2123
B.A. LLB. (Hons.)
1st Semester

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher takes this opportunity to express his profound gratitude and deep
regards to his guide DR. Priya Darshini, for her exemplary guidance,
monitoring and constant encouragement throughout the course of this project.
The blessing, help and guidance given by her time to time shall carry the
researcher a long way in the journey of life.
The success and final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and
assistance from many people and I am extremely privileged to have got this all
along the completion of this project. Last, but not the least, I am thankful to all
the members of my family, friends and teachers without whose assistance and
encouragements I could not have completed my thesis.

KUMAR UTSAV

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………....4
 AIMS & OBJECTIVES …………………….....................5
 RESEARCH QUESTIONS………………………………5
 HYPOTHESIS …………………………………………...6
 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS ……………………………6
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ………………………..6

2. ASCENSION TO THE THRONE ……........…………………..8

3. EMPIRE OF HARSHAVARDHANA ……………………….10

4. HARSHA’S MILITARY CONQUESTS …………………….12

5. ADMINISTRATION AND THE EMPIRE ………………….14

6. RELIGION ...………………………………………………....16

7. CONCLUSION ……………………………………………….18

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY …...………………………………………..22

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 1.INTRODUCTION
After the overthrow of the White Huns no supreme power existed in India until
the beginning of the 7th century. The decline of the Gupta Empire was followed
by a period of political disorder and disunity in North India. It was only in the
beginning of the seventh century AD that Harshvardhana (606-647 or 648)
succeeded in establishing a larger kingdom in north India. Harsha, originally
king of Thaneswar, after a thirty-five years' war, became the lord paramount of
the north, while Pulikesin II, the greatest of the Chalukya dynasty, was the
leading sovereign in the south.
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 AD. Besides these two sources, 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.

Figure 1- Signature of King 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. 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.

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
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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. Harsha with
an ambition to extend his kingdom 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. The
peripheral states such as Kashmir, Sind, Valabhi and Kamarupa acknowledged
his sovereignty.
About 620 the armies of the northern and southern empires met. The result of
this encounter was that Harsha was forced to accept the Narbada river as his
southern frontier. At the end of his reign Harsha held sway over the whole of
the Gangetic plain from the Himalayas to the Narbada, while the kings of
Kamarupa (Assam), Valabhi (in Kathiawar), and Nepal were his vassals. By this
time Kalinga had been depopulated and was for the most part covered with
jungle. In the west the independent kingdom of Sindh was ruled by kings of the
Sudra caste, and the Punjab and Multan formed one kingdom.
The Chalukya dynasty rose into importance in the middle of the 6th century.
They seem to have been Eajputs from the north imposing their rule on the
Dravidian inhabitants of the Dekkan. Their capital was at Vatapi (the modern
Badami). The Pallavas, between the Kistna and Godaveri, were driven from
their homes by the Chalukyas; but the Pallavas of Kanchi struggled eagerly for
their liberty, and victory inclined now to one side, now to the other.
The administration of Harsha was organized on the same lines as the Guptas
did. Hiuen Tsang gives a detailed picture about this. The king was just in his
administration and punctual in discharging his duties. He made frequent visits
of inspection throughout his dominion. The day was too short for him. Taxation
was also light and forced labor was also rare. One sixth of the produce was
collected as land tax. Cruel punishments of the Mauryan period continued in the
times of Harsha. Hiuen Tsang condemned the trials as barbarous and
superstitious. Harsha’s army consisted of the traditional four divisions – foot,
horse, chariot and elephant. The number of cavalry was more than one lakh and
the elephants more than sixty thousands. This was much more than that of the

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Mauryan army. The maintenance of public records was the salient feature of
Harsha’s administration. The archive of the Harsha period was known as
nilopitu and it was under the control of special officers. Both good and bad
events happened during his time had been recorded.
After Harsha's death (c. 648) India became once more a medley of petty states,
but, except for the merely local incursion of the Arabs into Sindh, was free from
foreign invasion till the beginning of the 11th century. Much of the information
of the political state of India at that time is owed to the report of the travels of
the Chinese pilgrim Yuan Chwang.

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 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The researcher tends to emphasize on the –
1. Ascension of King Harshavardhana
2. Political, Social and Cultural history of Harshavardhana
3. Administration on Harsha’s reign

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. How did King Harshavardhana rise to the throne?
2. What was the Extent of Harsha’s Empire?
3. Of which religion Harshavardhana was the follower?

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
The researcher has confined to the books and online sources. Since the
researcher is 1st year student of 5 year course at CNLU, Patna, he can access
only a limited area. Apart from this, the research work is done in short span of
time. Consequently the research work gets limited to certain depth. The
uniqueness of this topic makes it difficult for the researcher to have ample
amount of information available on the topic.
Hence, after facing all the difficulties the researcher have managed to frame a
complete and the clearest image of the topic, he could make through his best
efforts.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research work is centered on the literature available in library. Hence the
method of research is purely doctrinal. The researcher while doing this research
work completely relied on books available in library and the information
available on internet.

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 2.ASCENSION TO THE THRONE
Harsha came to the throne in tragic circumstances. Prabhakara Vardhana had
two sons, namely, Rajya Vardhana and Harsha Vardhana, and a daughter,
Rajyasri by name. While the two young princes were well-trained in soldierly
profession of horsemanship, archery and swords-play, their sister was trained in
music and other accomplishments. Rajyasri, while young, was given in
marriage to the Maukhari prince Grahavarman of Kanauj. Soon after the
marriage of his daughter, the old King Prabhakara Vardhana faced the menace
of the Hunas in the north. He sent his eldest son Rajya Vardhana to fight against
the Hunas. The prince was then only 18 years in age. His younger brother
Harsha, who was only 15, followed his brother towards the front with a cavalry
force. Before Harsha had joined his brother, news reached him that the old King
was seriously ill. He hastened back to the capital only to see his father breathing
his last. In profound sorrow, he sent swift messengers to the front requesting his
elder brother to return immediately.

Figure 2- King Harshavardhana

Rajya Vardhana in the meanwhile had defeated the Hunas, though himself
wounded. He returned and reached the capital, and felt so much depressed at the
death of his father that he asked Harsha to take the throne, expressing his desire
to renounce the world and become a monk. But the noble younger brother
pleaded before the elder not to go by that drastic decision, but to accept the
challenges of kingship as a sacred duty in the interest of the subjects. Rajya
Vardhana changed his mind and became the king.
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But he was not destined to rule. Hardly he had come to the throne when the
tragic news reached him that King Grahavarman of Kanauj, the husband of
Rajyasri, 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
Vardhana thereupon hurried with a 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 Vardhana defeated the army of Malwa. But, fate was against him. The
‘wicked King’ of Gauda, Sasanka, who was a friend of the Malwa King, lured
Rajya Vardhana to confidence by false show of friendship, and when Rajya
Vardhana was alone and armless he was killed treacherously. Bana’s
description of this event is supported by an inscription which states that “Rajya
in battle curbed Devagupta and all the other kings together, and uprooted his
adversaries; then he, through his trust in promises, lost his life in the enemy’s
quarters”.Thus that the Kings of Malwa and Gauda combined in alliance as well
as in conspiracy to kill the new King of Thaneswar, and also to take possession
of the Kingdom of Kanauj. So ended the reign of Rajya Vardhana when it had
just begun.
Harsha’s sorrows knew no bounds when he received the sad news at
Thaneswara. In his disgust at the worldly ways of life, he came under a feeling
of detachment towards the throne and Kingship. But at that critical juncture, the
ministers and officers of the state rose to the occasion to save the situation.
Bhandi, the Chief Minister, at once summoned a meeting of the Council of
Ministers and addressed it in the following words: “The destiny of the nation is
to be fixed today.The old King’s son is dead; the brother of the Prince is dutiful
and obedient. Because he is strongly attached to his family, the people will trust
in him. I propose that he assume the royal authority: let each one give his
opinion on this matter, whatever he thinks.”
All the ministers, having been aware of Harsha’s worth, agreed to accept him as
the new king, and together with others, pleaded with the prince to accept the
kingship. Thus that Harsha ascended the throne of Thaneswara in the year 606
A.D. when he was a youth of only sixteen. It was also necessary for the young
king to take over the administration of the kingdom of Kanauj where the throne
was lying vacant after the death of his brother-in-law in lands of his enemies.
It is known from the accounts of Hiuen Tsang that Harsha was invited to accept
the throne of Kanauj by the nobles and notables of that kingdom who gathered
in an assemblage when their country was passing through evil days. Harsha
accepted the offer with reluctance, and in extreme modesty, wanted to be known
as Prince or Rajaputra Siladitya, a name in which he is also famous in history.
In due course of time, Harsha made Kanauj the capital of the united kingdoms
of Thaneswara and Kanauj.

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 3.EMPIRE OF HARSHAVARDHANA
The empire of Harsha Vardhana was vast. His suzerainty also extended far and
wide.Like Samudragupta, he kept the heartland of northern India under his
direct administration and the rest of the territories under his dominating
influence.
Harsha’s Empire included the kingdoms of Thaneswara or eastern Punjab, and
Kanauj in the Gangetic Doab, and the regions of Ahichchhatra or Rahilkhand,
Sravasti or areas of Oudh, and Prayaga or Allahabad. Magadha as well as a
portion of Orissa were also within the empire. In the north-west, it included
major portions of the Punjab, and whole of Sindh. In the west, the kingdom of
Vallabhi came within the imperial authority. Harsha’s Empire touched the
Arabian Sea.

Figure 3- Empire of Harshavardhana

In the east, the empire included Bengal, and touched the Bay of Bengal. In the
north-east it extended as far as the Brahmaputra valley. If the empire also
included Kashmir and Nepal, it touched the Himalayas in the north. Thus, with
almost the whole of Northern India, from the snowy mountains of the north to
the river Narmada in the south, and from Ganjam in the eastern coast to
Vallabhi in the western coast, the Empire of Harsha was one of the most
extensive empires of Indian history. Harsha’s political influence was also
deeply felt outside the limits of his direct rule. Beyond the river Brahmaputra,
the King of Kamarupa regarded Harsha as his superior. It is known from the
Chinese source that he did not venture to disobey the orders of Harsha whom he
regarded as a mighty monarch. The Chinese source suggests that the King of
Kamarupa could not dare to detain a Chinese pilgrim in his capital against the
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wishes of Harsha. Similarly, if Kashmir was not included in Harsha’s Empire,
his power was nevertheless felt there.
The Chinese source refers to an incident when the King of Kashmir was forced
to surrender a tooth relic of Buddha to Harsha. In another instance, King Udito
of Jalandhar, who accepted Buddhism, was commanded by Harsha to conduct
Hiuen Tsang safely to the frontiers with a military escort on the pilgrim’s
homeward journey. King Udito obeyed the order. It is known from the Chinese
source that the rulers of distant lands up to China’s borders, helped the pilgrim
with escorts out of respect for Harsha.
It is proved, thus, that the neighoubring states of Harsha’s Empire were greatly
afraid of the emperor’s power, and obeyed his wishes or orders. So was the case
with several local rulers who survived within the empire, paying their homage
to the emperor. Even the most powerful enemy of Harsha in the South, the
Chalukyas, acknowledged Harsha’s supremacy in the whole of Uttarpatha by
calling him Sakala-Uttarapatha-natha or the Lord Paramount of the North.
According to V.A. Smith, Harsha ruled over “the whole of the basin of the
Ganges, from the Himalayas to the Narmada”. The extent of his empire as well
as the extent of his political influence made him the paramount sovereign of the
whole of Northern India. The term ‘Five Indies’ used by Hiuen Tsang to
describe Harsha’s dominion might be taken as well justified when we take into
account his sway over the different regions of India.” Harsha ruled his empire
from his capital at Kanauj, on the bank of the Ganges. It is known from the
accounts of Hiuen Tsang that the city was well fortified and strongly defended.
It abounded with majestic buildings, beautiful gardens, and tanks of clean water.
It was also a centre of learning and culture. The inhabitants of the capital lived a
prosperous life. The city of Kanauj enjoyed the hey-day of its splendour in the
age of Harsha.

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 4.HARSHA’S MILITARY CONQUESTS

In his first expedition Harsha drove away Sasanka from Kannauj who had
occupied it after murder¬ing Harsha’s brother. Harsha’s early relations with the
rulers of Valabhi were cordial but soon Malwa became the bone of contention
between the two and so he had to turn his attention to western India.
It resulted in the defeat of the Valabhi ruler, Dhruvasena II and his acceptance
of the position of a feudatory vassal. His hostilities with Valabhis ended through
a matrimonial alliance. The above suc¬cess however proved to be the
immediate cause of conflict between Harsha and Pulakesin II, the Chalukya
ruler of Badami.

Figure 4- Pulakesin- II

Further, the question of over lordship over the Latas, Malwa and Gurjaras seems
to have been the long-standing cause of conflict between the two. An eulogy or
Prasastioi Pulakesin II by Ravi Kirti (the court poet of Pulakesin II) placed on a
temple wall at Aihole, also mentions Pulakesin’s military success against
Harsha. Hiuen Tsang’s account mentions that inspite of his victories over many
kingdoms Harsha was not able to defeat Pulakesin II.
Harsha was successful in his eastern campaign. A Chinese account mentions
him as the king of Magadha in 641 A.D. The king of Kamarupa,
Bhaskaravarman, was his ally in his campaign of Bengal and other parts of

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eastern India.In the course of the forty-one years that Harsha ruled, he included
among his feudatories, kings as distant as those of Jalandhar, Kashmir, Nepal,
Valabhi, Gujarat, Malwa, Sind, Frontier provinces and Assam. United
Provinces, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, Central India and Rajputana were under direct
ad¬ministration of Harsha.

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 5.ADMINISTRATION AND THE EMPIRE
Harshavardhana ruled over the 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
traveled 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 traveler
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

Figure 5- Coin of Harshavardhana, circa 606-647 CE

During the course of his rule, Harshavardhana built a strong army. Historical
records suggest that he had 100,000 strong cavalry, 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.
A famous Indian writer and poet named Banabhatta served as the ‘Asthana
Kavi’ (primary poet of the kingdom) in the court of Harshavardhana. The

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emperor himself was a skilled writer as he had penned down three Sanskrit
plays, namely ‘Ratnavali’, ‘Priyadarsika’ and ‘Nagananda.’
During Harshavardhana’s reign, there was paucity of coins in most parts of
North India. This fact suggests that the economy was feudal in nature. People
were more concerned about growing their own crops rather than creating a
market for the crops grown.
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. Harshavardhana defeated and conquered
many kingdoms during his reign. When he thought of extending his empire
beyond the Narmada River, his advisors came up with a plan to conquer South
India. He then charted out a plan to attack Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya
dynasty. Pulakeshin II controlled a major part of South India. Hence,
Harshavardhana’s plan to fight Pulakeshin II suggests that he wanted to gain
control over the whole of India. Unfortunately, Harshavardhana underestimated
Pulakeshin II’s military prowess and was defeated in the battle, which took
place on the banks of Narmada.

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 6.RELIGION
According to historical sources, Harshavardhana’s ancestors were sun
worshippers, but Harshavardhana was a Shaivite. He was an ardent devotee of
Lord Shiva and his subjects described him as ‘Parama-maheshvara’ (supreme
devotee of Lord Shiva). In fact, ‘Nagananda,’ a Sanskrit play which was written
by him, was dedicated to Lord Shiva’s consort Parvati. Though he was an
ardent Shaivite, he was also tolerant towards all other religions and extended his
support as well. He did not force his religious beliefs on his subjects and they
were free to follow and practice the religion of their choice. Sometime later in
his life, he became a patron of Buddhism. Records suggest that his sister
Rajyashri had converted to Buddhism and that encouraged King
Harshavardhana to support and even propagate the religion. He got several
Buddhist stupas constructed.

Figure 6- King Harsha pays homage to Buddha

a 20th century artist’s imagination

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The stupas built by him on the banks of the Ganges stood at 100-feet high.
He also banned animal slaughter and started building monasteries all over North
India. He built hospices and ordered his men to maintain them well. These
hospices served as shelters to the poor and to the religious travelers across India.
He also organized a religious assembly called ‘Moksha.’ It was organized once
in every five years. Harshavardhana was also renowned for organizing a grand
Buddhist convocation in 643 CE. This convocation was held at Kannauj and it
was attended by hundreds of pilgrims and 20 kings who had come from far and
wide. Chinese traveler Xuanzang penned down his experience of attending this
massive convocation. Xuanzang also wrote about a 21-day religious festival
which too, was held at Kannauj. This religious festival was centered on a life-
sized statue of Buddha which was made out of pure gold. According to
Xuanzang, Harsha, along with his subordinate kings, would perform daily
rituals in front of the life-sized statue of the Buddha. It is still not clear if
Harshavardhana converted to Buddhism. But Xuanzang has clearly mentioned
in one of his writings that King Harshavardhana was not only favorable to
Buddhist monks, but also treated scholars of other religious belief with equal
respect. This suggests that he might not have converted to Buddhism.
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.

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 CONCLUSION
Harsha followed the traditional monarchical system of administration which had
existed in India during the earlier imperial periods.His time having been nearer
to the Gupta Age, the various features of the imperial Gupta administration
influenced Harsha’s administration to a very large extent.Yet, there were new
innovations in accordance with the needs of the time.Moreover, every great
monarch had his personal designs to shape his administration, and Harsha too
went by his own individuality in governing the empire.
Harsha was a true representative of ancient monarchy in its finest aspects. In
theory, the king was absolute and all-powerful. But in practice, he enjoyed
limited power, being subject to the rules of the Dharma, the laws and customs of
the land, and to the wise advice of the ministers and countries. He had also to
respect the wishes of the subjects. The king was no doubt the supreme
lawmaker, the chief executive, and the fountain of justice. He was also the
central figure of the entire administrative machinery working like its pivot. In
spite of all such powers, Harsha’s monarchy was far from being autocratic.
Harsha believed in the self-government of the countless village- communities.
The central government did not concentrate all powers in its hands, but gave
much autonomy to regional bodies for conducting the affairs of the state.
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
proposal.
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.
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 Force.
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”.
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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. Revenues were also earned from trade and commerce.
But duties on goods were light.
The revenue of the state, 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 sects. The governments maintained records 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.
Harsha’s Empire was divided into several provinces. The number of such
provinces is not known. Each province was divided into Bhuktis. And each
Bhukti was divided into 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 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

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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 traveller Fa-Hien moved freely and suffered no attack, in the days of
Harsha, Hiuen Tsang did not find travelling safe.
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.

INDIAN HISTORY Page 20

 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 India: History, Religion, Vision and Contribution to the World, by
Alexander P. Varghese p.26

 India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma

 Some Aspects of Ancient Indian History and Culture by Upendra

Thakur, Publ. Abhinav Publications

 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.culturalindia.net/amp/indian-
history/ancient-india/harshavardhan.html

 ^ "Study unravels nuances of classical Indian history". The Times

of India". Pune. 23 April 2016. p. 3.

 Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala (1969). The deeds of Harsha: being a

cultural study of Bāṇa's Harshacharita. Prithivi Prakashan. p. 118.

INDIAN HISTORY Page 21