Sri Harsha

 Sri Harsha or (Siladitya II) was another name for Harshavardhana. His empire comprises the entire Indo-Gangetic plain north of the Narmada River, including Punjab, West Bengal, and Orissa, as well as the Himalayas. Hiuen Tsang, a Chinese wanderer, left travel journals. Banabhatta, his court poet, wrote Harshacharita.

Kalidasa lived in the sixth century and graced the court of Vikramaditya. A century after his time, an Emperor of India, and a worthy successor of Vikramaditya tried to rival the renowned Kalidasa. Siladitya II., also called Sri Harshadev, received the Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang in 638 A.D. He was the Emperor of all Northern India and a man of letters.

Harsha is a masculine name with Sanskrit roots. It comes from the Sanskrit word ‘harsh,’ meaning ‘happiness,’ ‘joy,’ ‘delight,’ ‘cheer,’ and ‘applause.’. Since the name originates in Sanskrit, it is popular among speakers of various Indian languages.

Emperor Harshavardhana, better known as Harsha, lived from 590 to 647 CE and was the last ruler of the Vardhana Empire, the last great empire in ancient India before the Islamic Invasion. He ruled from 606 CE to 647 CE. After Harshavardhana's death, however, the Vardhana or Pushyabhuti Dynasty ended, and its empire dissolved.

King Harshavardhana's father was Prabhakar Vardhana. Prabhakaravardhana ruled the kingdom of Thaneshwar, modern-day Haryana. Prabhakarvardhana’s queen Yashovati gave birth to two sons Rajyavardhana and Harshavardhana and a daughter named Rajyashri who was later married to King Grahavarman of Kanyakubja, modern-day Kannauj. This was a period of tension as India had to frequently deal with the invasion of the Huns of Central Asia. Constant fights were so costly that they weakened the empire to the core, and this eventually led to the downfall of the Gupta Empire. As the western frontiers of India and areas adjoining the Indus River were under the occupation of the Huns, conflicts between Huns and Thaneshwar were regular. While Harsha and his brother were busy dealing with the Huns in the west, Prabhakaravardhana died in Thaneshwar. He was succeeded by his elder son, Rajyavardhana.

Meanwhile, in the East far greater events were happening which altered the course of history. Shashanka of the Gauda Kingdom, modern-day Bengal, marched and killed King Grahavarman, Rajyashri's husband, and then kidnapped her. The kidnapping of his sister forced the elder Vardhana brother to march east and confront Shashanka. Shashanka then invited Rajyavardhana for a meeting and treacherously killed him. After his brother's death, at the age of 16, Harshavardhana became the undisputed ruler of Thaneshwar and declared war on Shashanka to avenge his brother and went upon a campaign of Digvijay, i.e. to conquer the world (which in this context means conquering whole India). Yet, his foremost enemy was now Shashanka who had to face an angry brother's wrath. Harsha proclaimed all kings known to either declare allegiance to him or face him on the battlefield. As Shashanka's enemies responded to Harsha's call, he marched on to Kannauj.

Although there is no evidence, a story in Harshacharita claims that Rajyashri, when released from prison, took refuge in the forest of Vindhyas. Hearing this, Harsha hurriedly went into the forest to save her and found her just when she was about to commit suicide by throwing herself in a fire. Rescuing his sister, he rejoined his army at the Bank of the Ganges. After this, Harsha easily conquered Kanyakubja as Shashanka went back to Bengal, and thus began a long enmity. It was only after Shashanka's death that Harsha was able to control the entire eastern India including Magadha, Bengal, and Kalinga.

Harsha's Digvijay, or the conquest of the world had now begun. After Kannauj, he turned his attention towards Gujarat. He defeated the local Valabhi kingdom and expanded his empire. Yet, this rapid expansion led to tensions between him and the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II (r. 609-642 CE). It was now that the most powerful kingdoms of northern and southern India came face-to-face on the battlefield on the banks of river Narmada. In the end, the southerners under the able leadership of Pulakeshin II prevailed leaving the ambitious northern ruler, Harsha, defeated. They say Harsha lost his cheer when he saw his elephants dying in the battle. 

Harshavardhana is regarded as among India’s most powerful monarchs during the seventh century. Kannauj was the capital. His policies and initiatives were always benevolent and designed to improve the stability and tranquility of his citizens. He was a Hindu who converted to Mahayana Buddhism later.

Kannauj became Harshavardhana’s Empire’s capital. From 606 until 647 A.D., he governed. His empire stretched across Punjab through northern Orissa and from the Himalayas towards the Narmada River’s shore. In 606 A.D., Harshavardhana ascended to the throne.

Harshavardhan ascended to the throne at 16. His life and reign are primarily known through the works of Bana and the Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang. Xuan Zang, a close friend of Harsha, portrayed him as a devoted Mahayana Buddhist, though Harsha initially supported orthodox Hinduism. Harsha is remembered as a benevolent and just ruler who actively worked for his empire's prosperity. He established diplomatic relations with China in 641 and created institutions for travellers, the poor, and the sick. Harsha held quinquennial assemblies to distribute his accumulated treasures and patronized scholars, sponsoring the chronicler Bana and poet Mayura.

To this 7th-century king Sri Harsha of Kanauj has attributed three charming plays: Ratnavali and Priyadarsika, both of which are of the harem type; and Nagananda (“The Joy of the Serpents”), inspired by Buddhism and illustrating the generosity of the snake deity Jimutavahana.