History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c7.7

v1.c7.7

The next important kingdom was that of Gurjara in Rajputana. Its capital was Bhinmāl. It was the principal country of the Gurjaras in those days, though now the country is not Gujarat but Rajputana. “The king was a Kshatriya by caste,” according to Hiuen Tsang, and “a young man celebrated for his wisdom and courage and a firm believer in Buddhism.” This king must have been a son of king Vyāghramukha in whose time the noted astronomer Brahmagupta in 628 A.D. composed his treatise on astronomy. As Hiuen Tsang visited the country about 641 A. D., Vyāghramukha’s successor must have been a young man. Gurjara was defeated by Prabhākara, the father of Harsha as stated in the Harsha-Charita, p. 174 (गुर्जरप्रजागरः प्रतापशील इति प्रथितपरनामा प्रभाकरवर्धनो नाम राजाधिराजः). Though its conquest by Harsha in his digvijaya is not mentioned, it may be easily presumed. But Hiuen Tsang’s description of the king suggests that like Sind and Kashmir, Gurjara was nominally subject to the overlordship of Harsha.