22. The Age of Harsha

Harsha's Kingdom

• After the decline of Gupta empire in the middle of 6th century A.D., north India split into several kingdoms under the control of about half a dozen feudatories of Gupta empire themselves.
• The White Hunas established their supremacy over Kashmir, Punjab and western India from A.D. 500 onwards.
• Gradually one of the dynasties of the feudatories i.e. Pushyabhuti ruling at Thanesar in Haryana extended its power over all other feudatories. The ruler who brought it about was Harshavardhana (A.D. 606-647).
• Harsha made Kanauj his seat of power and therefrom extended his empire in all directions.
• Pataliputra fell during this time once money got scarce as trade declined and officers and soldiers began to be paid through land grants.
• Power shifted to military camps (skandhavaras), and places of strategic importance, which dominated long stretches of land acquired prominence to which Kanauj belonged.
• Unlike other places in plain, Kanauj was situated on an elevated area which was easily fortifiable and located right in middle of doab and soldiers can be easily moved by both land and water routes.
• The story of his reign can be reconstructed from Harshacharita, a book written by Banabhatta, his court poet and supplemented by the account of Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang.
• He ruled over whole of north India except Kashmir. His south ward march was stopped by the Chalukyan king, Pulakesin who ruled over Karnataka and Maharashtra with capital at Badami, in Bijapur Karnataka.

 

Administration

• Harsha governed his empire on the same lines as the Guptas did, except that his administration had become more feudal and decentralised.
• He possessed a large army as evidently every feudatories contributed his quota of foot soldiers and horses which can be mobilized at the time of war.
• Land grants continued to be made to priests and also to the officers by charters.
• The revenues of Harsha were divided into 4 parts, one for expenditure by the king, a second for scholars, third for endowments of officials and public servants and a fourth for religious purposes.
• Since there were not many coins issued by Harsha, the feudal practice of rewarding and paying officers with grants of land seems to have began under Harsha.
• In the empire of Harsha law and order was not well maintained.

 

Hsuan Tsang's Account

• He visited India in A.D. 629 till A.D. 645 and had come to study in the Buddhist university in Nalanda, Bihar to collect Buddhist texts from India.
• His account sheds light on the economic and social life as well as the religious sects of the period.
• His account shows that Pataliputra was in decline, so was Vaishali, on the other hand Prayag and Kanauj in the doab had become important.
• The brahamanas and kshatriyas led a simple life but the nobles and priests led a luxurious life.
• The sudras are represented as agriculturists which is significant as earlier they are represented as serving the three higher varnas.
• He also took notice of the untouchables such as scavengers, executioners, etc. Who lived outside the villages and took garlic and onion.

Buddhism and Nalanda

• The Buddhists were divided into 18 sects in the time of the Chinese pilgrim. The most famous Buddhist centre was Nalanda, a great university for Buddhist monks.
• The monastery was supported from the revenues of 200 villages. Nalanda thus had a huge monastic establishment in the time of Harshavardhana.
• Harsha followed a tolerant religious policy. A Saiva in his early years, he gradually became a great patron of Buddhism.
• Harsha was a literary figure and wrote 3 plays and rewarded and patronized literary men.