History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c6.4

v1.c6.4

We shall notice the rulers of different kingdoms who were contemporaneous with Harsha in the next chapter in which we intend to detail the various kingdoms visited by the indefatigable Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang. Here it will suffice to observe that Harsha subjugated almost the whole of Northern India and established a strong and well-ordered empire which lasted till his death. He founded as a memento of his being a Chakravarti, a special era of his own commencing from 606 A. D. in imitation of previous emperors who had founded the Vikrama, the Śaka and the Gupta eras. Indeed the founding of an era was now looked upon as an emblem of empire and Harsha in response to this tradition founded his own era in 612 A. D. after he had completed his Digvijaya dating from his accession in 606 A. D.