History for kids

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The downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of the sixth

century brought about the breakup of the northern Indian
kingdom into many small republics and monarchy states.
Punjab and parts of central India had been taken over by
the Huns regime, however over time, their power weakened as they assimilated with the native population.

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Prabhakar Vardhan, ruler of Sthanvisvara, Thanesar (in present day Haryaya) was the first ruler of the Vardhana dynasty. He had two sons. The elder son Rajya Vardhana ascended the throne after his father. His younger son was
Harsha Vardhana.
Rajya Vardhana was deceived and murdered by King
Gauda, at which point a young sixteen year old Harsha
swore to take revenge. Harsha waged war against King
Gauda and won the battle.
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Harsha was consequently crowned the new ruler and he

proved to be a great conqueror and administrator. He first
united the kingdoms of Thanesar and Kannauj and then
went on to bring Bengal, Bihar & Odisha under his command. He married off his daughter to Dhruvasena whom
he had defeated in Gujarat.

Harshas Empire

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Harsha then moved towards the south only to be stopped

by Pulakesi II of Vatapi. As a result the Narmada became
the southern limit of Harsha's empire. Under Harsha the
small republics from Punjab to central India were reunited.
Like many kings of that time, Harsha was a true patron of
the arts. He supported the Nalanda university with financial grants. He was also an author of repute having penned
Sanskrit plays like Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarsika.
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Banabhatta, Harsha's court poet wrote the Harsha Charitam, the first historical poetic work on King Harsha. The
Harsha Charitam is replete with the king's achievements
and deeds.
Harsha's capital city, Kannauj extended 6 to 8 kilometers
along the river Ganges. The city was filled with magnificent buildings & structures. He also had a systematic tax
structure in place. One fourth of the taxes went towards
the administration of his empire. The rest were given away
to charities and to further the arts & cultural endeavors in
his kingdom. Trade too flourished during his reign.

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Later on in his life, King Harsha, a Shaivite by birth became

a follower of Buddhism. He constructed various stupas in
the name of Buddha. Under him all religions and schools of
thought like Jainism and Buddhism enjoyed freedom of expression.
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Harsha ruled ably for 41 years. However as he had no heirs,

the kingdom disintegrated after his demise. Soon after his
death, the Pratihars of Malwa, Palas of Bengal & the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan all fought for control over northern
India.
With King Harsha's passing the idea of a single kingdom
ruling northern India disintegrated.

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