Pushyabhuti dynasty (jan 1, 606 – jan 1, 647)

Description:

decentralised kingdom--samantas

Vaishya caste  Pushyabhuti or Vardhana dynasty
 Ruled from Kannauj (Kanyakubja) after integrating some smaller kingdoms and shifting from
Thaneswar (Sthaneshwara)

 Harsha’s Digvijaya
 Fight with Malwa and Gauda  success
 Titles - Sakal uttara patha natha, Siladitya
 He converted to Buddhism from Shaivism

Sources
 Banabhatta wrote Harshacharitha and Kadambari (completed by son Bhushanabhatta) in sanskrit

 Xuan-Zang wrote Si-yu-ki (Great Tang Records on Western World) – Buddhist Assembly at Prayag (every
5 years) and Kannauj (643CE)
 Xuan travelled in India for about 16 years 629-645CE
 Madhuban and Banskera (UP) copper plate inscription and Sonepat (Har) on copper seal
 Nalanda inscription on clay seals


Aspects of rule
 Believed to be the author of three Sanskrit plays Priyadarsika, Nagananda and Ratnavali
 Built many stupas and viharas and rest-houses (dharmasalas)
 Had a cosmopolitan kingdom with a powerful council of ministers led by a prime minister
 Official beginning of Feudal system with "samanthas" – Land grants
 Later prohibited animal slaughter
 Had contacts with Chinese T’ang Empire who sent two missions to India
 Nilopitu – archives during Harsha period
 Self-sufficient villages – decline of trade centres, less number of coins, and slow activities of merchant
guilds.




Administrative officials
 Avanti - Minister for Foreign Relations and War
 Simhananda - Commander-in-Chief
 Kuntala - Chief Cavalry officer
 Skandagupta – Chief Commandant of Elephant Force
 Dirghadhvajas - Royal Messengers
 Banu - Keeper of Records
 Mahaprathihara - Chief of the Palace Guard
 Sarvagata - Secret Service Department
 Mimamsakas – dispense justice


Divisions
bhukti,vishaya,pathakas,gramas
 Provincial Governors were Lokpalas
 Xang mentions the four divisions (chaturanga) of Harsha’s army.

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