History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c6.5

v1.c6.5

Harsha hereafter attempted to extend his empire to the south of the Nerbudda like Samudra Gupta who had led a conquering expedition through Southern India. But Southern India remained unconquered owing to the vigilance and valour of Harsha’s great rival Chālukya Pulakeśi II of Mahārāshtra. His capital appears from inscriptions to have been Vātāpi or modern Badami but from Hiuen Tsang’s description it may have been Nasik also. This king, namely, Pulakeśi II was very powerful and appears to have subjugated the whole of Southern India. He came to the throne at about the same time as Harsha i. e., about 608 A. D. and soon extended his sway down to the southern coast. The description which the famous Chinese traveller gives of him, his army and his people deserves to be quoted here in extenso. “The inhabitants of Mahārāshtra) were proud, spirited and warlike; grateful for favours and revengeful for wrongs, self-sacrificing towards supplicants in distress and sanguinary to death with those who treated them insultingly. Their martial heroes went to the conflict intoxicated and their war elephants were also made drunk before engagement. Relying on the strength of his heroes and elephants the king treated neighbouring countries with contempt. The benevolent sway of this king reached far and wide and his vassals served him with perfect loyalty. The great king Śilāditya (Harsha) was invading at this time east and west and the countries far and near were giving him allegiance but Mahārāshtra refused to become subject to him. (Records Vol. II, Watters, page 239.) The Life says, “The king always supports several thousand men of valour and several hundred savage elephants. These in a drunken condition rush against the enemy and without fail put the foe to flight. Śilāditya Rāja in spite of his skill and the invariable success of his generals, marching himself at the head of his troops could not subjugate him.” (Life of H. T., p. 147.) By a strange concommittance thus, India was divided at this time into two empires ruled by two powerful kings who were a match to each other and who came to the throne at about the same time. The dividing line of these southern and northern empires was naturally the Nerbudda which divides India into two portions differing from each other in many characteristics both of country and people.