History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c12.2

c12.2

It is evident from the foregoing account that the Kanauj kingdom under Harṣa mostly extended towards the east, and it was probably natural too that he should aspire to control the territories lying on this side, since the southern routes were already blocked by the mighty arms of Pulakeśi II. In those early times the Ganges was the highway of traffic linking up all the country from Bengal to "Mid India", and it was therefore necessary for the commerce and prosperity of the kingdom that Kanauj should be supreme over this vast Gangetic region. Indeed, the tendency of its kings to conquer Magadha and even the territories beyond it is noticeable throughout the course of its chequered history. Harṣa succeeded in bringing nearly the whole of the Gangetic plain under his yoke, and the kingdom having thus developed into gigantic proportions the task of its successful governance became all the more complicated and difficult. It was an age of mutually repellent and warring states engaged in petty internecine jealousies, and hence statesmanship and military skill of a high order were called forth to hold the empire together, and ensure its peaceful and orderly progress.