History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c7.16

v1.c7.16

We now come to Mid-India or what is practically the present United Provinces. The valley of the Ganges and the Jumna has been the seat of Indo-Aryan civilization from ancient times. Indo-Aryan mental and physical power was developed here and from here the Aryans dominated so to speak Northern India or Hindustan as it is usually called. This part in ancient times was called the Madhya Deśa from which Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in the Mahābhārata (Sabhā parva) “the Yādavas were so sorry to be ousted and whither they pined so vehemently to return.” The same name continued down to the time of Hiuen Tsang who also calls it Mid-India and Varāhamihira also makes this part the central division of India. The climate of this part of the country is or rather was remarkably dry and healthy in those days, when it was not cut up by numerous canals taken out from the Jumna and the Ganges, which while they have added to the fertility of the land and insured it against famine, have created a malarial climate and detracted much from its salubrity. The country then was and still is very fertile and hence numerous peoples or kingdoms flourished in this very compact territory and rose to pre-eminence in ancient times. The principal kingdoms here at this time were Thanesar and Kanauj both ruled by one and the same king Harsha. These two kingdoms were in fact the ancient Kuru and Pāñchāla kingdoms united again as they once were under Janamejaya and the combination was naturally so powerful that Harsha like Janamejaya easily became the emperor of Hindustan. As Harsha usually lived at Kanauj that city now rose to the importance, and assumed the status, of the capital of India. This status it retained throughout the mediæval period of Indian history of which we are treating. It had already risen into some importance during the days of the Maukhari kings Īśāna, Śarva and Avantivarmā who ruled there during the latter half of the sixth century and who established overlordship over the eastern portion of the Gangetic valley, while the Vardhanas of Thanesar established overlordship over the western. The union of Thanesar and Kanauj at once raised Kanauj* to the position of the capital of India now lost