History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c12.s4.1

c12.s4.1

Our authorities on Harṣa unfortunately yield us very meagre data for the then existing system of government. Probably Harṣa was assisted in the task of administration by an advisory council as favoured and advocated by ancient Indian political thinkers.¹ According to Yuan Chwang, Harṣa was invited to accept the crown of Kanauj by the statesmen and ministers of that kingdom, led by Poni; and it does not seem unreasonable to believe that they may have continued to wield some sort of control even during the palmy days of Harṣa’s power. The pilgrim even goes so far as to assert that “a commission of officers held the land.”²