The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c17.4

c17.4

These records centre round Harṣavardhana who, in consequence, has been endowed by modern writers with a heroism, power and greatness beyond what a closer study of the originals warrants.² The earliest known ancestors of Harṣa were Naravardhana, Râjyavardhana, and Âdityavardhana who are called Mahârâjas and may, therefore, like the ancestors of the imperial Guptas, be presumed to have been feudatories. The dynasty started on an independent career with Prabhākaravardhana, who was the first to assume the title of Mahārājādhirāja.¹ Beginning life as the chief of Sthāṇvīśvara in the land of Śrīkaṇṭha, he brought a number of surrounding chiefs under his control and stood forth as a suzerain.² His death seemed at first sight to be the signal for the break-up of his empire but his son and successor Rājyavardhana stemmed the tide of revolt. On the new king's early tragic death, his brother Harṣavardhana more than held his own against the enemies of the dynasty, united his dominions with those of his widowed sister Rājyaśrī, the heir to her childless husband's patrimony of Kanauj, and after six years of campaigning brought many princes under his supremacy. He stood forth as the suzerain of the greater part of North India and one of the most powerful monarchs in the whole country. He died in 648 A.D.³