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Harsha Sriharsha : Harshavardhana (c.590-647) was the second son of his father, Prabhākarvardhana, king of Thāneshwar (in Eastern Punjab)…. The dominant powers in India in the latter half of the 6th century, were the Maukharies in the Madhya-deśa (Ganges valley) & in South India the Chālukyas. A powerful alliance was formed in the Madhya-deśa when the Maukhari king Grahavarman married Rājyashri the daughter of Prabhākarvardhana of the Śhaiva Pushyabhūti family of Thāneshwar, the other most powerful family of the Madhya-deśa. Fearful of the outcome to his own kingdom, the king of Mālwā killed Grahavarman & threw Rājyashri into prison at Kanauj. Rājyavardhana avenged the death of his brother-in-law, but was later murdered by Śaśanka, king of Gauḍa, who had invited him by false courtesy & he had gone to him unarmed. It was then that the elders of Kanauj offered the crown to Rājyavardhana’s & Rājyashri’s younger brother Harshavardhana in 606 AD. In effect Harsha had to take charge of his rightful kingdom of Thāneshwar & that of Kanauj as Grahavarman had died childless. As a result, not only had he to consolidate his authority in the two kingdoms over which he was called upon to rule, he had to rescue his sister, who had escaped from her confinement in Kanauj, & avenge the death of his brother. He befriended Mādhava Gupta who belonged to the line of “the latter Guptās” of Mālwā & Magadha & accompanied by Mādhava rescued his sister. He made a treaty of alliance with Bhāskarvarman, the ambitious king of Kāmarūpa (present Assam), who was in a position to attack Śaśanka the king of Gauḍa from the rear & sent his chief noble to attack Śaśanka, but it was not until 619 that Śaśanka was subdued. Harsha is said to have waged incessant warfare until in six years he succeeded in strengthening his position in the home territories, & in 612 assumed full regal titles. By 641, Harsha had made a matrimonial alliance with Dhrūvabhaṭa, king of Vallabhi (Gujarat). In 641 he assumed the title of king of Magadha & exchanged embassies with China. There are references in literature to Harsha’s expeditions to Himalayan kingdom which became his vassal, to Kashmir & to Sindh whose ruler had already been humbled by his father. His empire embraced the old kingdoms of Thāneshwar & Kanauj, & the provinces of Ahichchhatrā (later Rohilkhand), Śrāvastī (later Oudh) & Prayāga. His armies had overrun almost the whole of Northern India from Kashmir to Narmada, & Vallabhi to Ganjam (eastern Odishā). The king of Kāmarūpa was his ally & dared not disobey his commands. Kanauj, the imperial capital, had the Ganges on its west side. It is described by Hiuen Tsang was a very strongly defended city with lofty structures everywhere. There were beautiful gardens & tanks with clear water. Rarities from strange lands were collected here. The inhabitants were well-off & there were families with great wealth. The people had a refined appearance & dressed in glossy silk attire. They were given to learning & the arts. Harsha also showed a taste for literature & the arts of peace that reminds one of the versatile heroes, Samudra Gupta. In his later days he sought to emulate, perhaps unconsciously, the great Asoka, & the Chinese pilgrim bears eloquent testimony to his pious foundations, his toleration, liberality & benevolence, all irrespective of caste & creed. A great general & a just administrator, he was even greater as a patron of religion & learning. He gathered round himself some of the finest intellects & holiest sages – men like Bāṇa, Mayūra, Divākara, & Hiuen Tsang. His rule saw the composition of poetic works of Bāṇa, Mayūra (a lyric poet who wrote the Kādambari & Harsha-charita), Bhartŗihari, Subandhu & the royal poets, Śrī Harsha & Mahendravarman. A poet of no mean order, emperor Harsha composed three Sanskrit gems: Nāgānanda (epithet of Shiva), Ratnāvali, & Priyadarśika. [Based on S. Bhattacharya; R.C. Majumdar et al’s Advanced History of India: 94, 128, 141-153, 194, 198, 201].