1. Harsha was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, son of Prabhakaravardhana and last king of Thanesar.
21 Facts About Harsha
1. 2.
Harsha was one of the greatest kings of the Kingdom of Kannauj, which under him expanded into a vast realm in northern India.
3.
Harsha eventually made Kanyakubja his imperial capital, and reigned till 647 CE.
4.
Harsha was defeated by the Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty in the Battle of Narmada, when he tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India.
5.
The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the imperial court of Harsha and wrote a very favourable account of him, praising his justice and generosity.
6.
Much of the information about Harsha's youth comes from the account of Banabhatta.
7.
Harsha was the second son of Prabhakarvardhana, king of Thanesar.
8.
Harsha rescued his sister when she was about to immolate herself.
9.
Harsha established an empire that brought all of northern India under his rule.
10.
The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the imperial court of Harsha, and wrote a favourable account of him, praising his justice and generosity.
11.
In 648, Tang Chinese emperor Tang Taizong sent Wang Xuance to India in response to emperor Harsha having sent an ambassador to China.
12.
However once in India, he discovered that Harsha had died and the new king Aluonashun attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates.
13.
Xuanzang mentions that Harsha waged wars to bring "the Five Indias under allegiance" in six years.
14.
However, it is known that Harsha engaged in wars and conquests for several more years.
15.
Harsha's seals describe his ancestors as worshippers of the Hindu sun god, Surya, his elder brother as a Buddhist, and himself as a Shaivite Hindu.
16.
Xuanzang states that Harsha banned animal slaughter for food, and built monasteries at the places visited by Gautama Buddha.
17.
Harsha erected several thousand 100-feet high stupas on the banks of the Ganges river, and built well-maintained hospices for travellers and poor people on highways across India.
18.
Harsha organized an annual assembly of global scholars, and bestowed charitable alms on them.
19.
Since Harsha's records describe him as a Shaivite Hindu, his conversion to Buddhism would have happened, if at all, in the later part of his life.
20.
Sohoni, Harsha was personally a Shaivite Hindu and his patronage of Buddhists misled Xuanzang to portray him as a Buddhist.
21.
Harsha is widely believed to be the author of three Sanskrit plays Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarsika.