Complete History Through Animation | Lec 15 | Reign of Harshavardhana | UPSC | StudyIQ IAS

Now it is affordable. Dai Rendu Abhishavardhan. Welcome to Study IQ. My name is Adesh Singh. Friends, Gupta after Empire The entire country of India was once again divided into small states. But despite this, a great war took place. Who successfully established his empire throughout northern India. And at the same time, the idea of education, literature, religion, and tolerance also took shape. Large events such as the Prayag and Kannauj assemblies were held during their time. For this reason, they are also called the Great Goddess, or Lord Adi Nath. Who were these warriors? Friends, these were the great rulers of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, Siladitya Harshavardhana, about whom we will speak today. He comes in and starts with the political history. Political History It is the year 600 A.D. Harshavardhan was ten years old. Their father and the powerful king Prabhakar Varma was the king of Thanesar, which was around the present-day Haryana region. They were protecting the Pūṣya Bhūti dynasty's empire from foreign threats with great care. But in 605 AD, their father Prabhakar Varma passes away, and their mother Yasumati becomes a widow. In this difficult time, Harshvardhan's uncle and Chief Minister Bhadri dissuade Harshvardhan's elder brother Rajvardhan from ascending the royal throne. But before moving forward, let's understand the geography of Thane. It was located in the present-day state of Haryana. In its east was Kannauj, where the kingdom of the Grahavarman of the Maukhari dynasty was located. In the West was Valabhi, where the dynasty of Dhruvasena II reigned. Gaur was the king of Bengal, Shashanka, who was a friend of Dev Gupta. In addition, in the Farist region, there was the rule of Bhaskar Varman in Kamarupa, which is Assam. Prabhakar Vardhan, the father of Harsh Vardhan, arranges the marriage of his daughter Rajeshri with King Grah Verman of Karanuj. This matrimonial alliance greatly enhances the reputation of Thaneswar Rajje throughout North India. However, after the death of Prabhakar Vardhan, the king of Malwa, Dev Gupta attacks Kanauj. With great cruelty, they take over the region. Seeing the huge army of Varahana, Gaur, that is, the ruler of Bengal, Shashanka realizes that it is impossible to defeat Rajya Varahana in a direct battle. Therefore, he kills Rajya Varahana with the help of Chalukya. There is a rivalry between Rajje and Rajje, the elder brother of Harsh Vardhan. Let's see. Rajyavardhana's sudden death left Harshavardhana very young and alone. But Bhandi Mama knew that Harshavardhana could become a more skilled, valiant, and clever king than his brothers. Therefore, Bhandi Uncle, shouting, says: That is not the time to cry Rather, it is about spilling the blood of enemies. Harshavardhan first of all his sister They stop to perform sati in the forests of Vindhya. And the cycle of battle and victory of Shiva devotee Harshavardhana begins again. Before their mighty army of one lakh soldiers and twenty thousand elephants, No king was able to survive. Rajvardhan, who was killed by Shashank, also After that, Harshavardhana annexed Kannauj not only into his kingdom Instead, they transfer their capital from Thanesar to Kannauj. Harshavardhan also plays the chess move to take revenge for Shashank's move. They first conclude a friendship treaty with King Bhaskar Varman of Kamarupa, that is, Assam. Then they launch a two-sided attack on the goat. Shashank barely escapes with his life and runs away to a distant forest. Some years later, he dies, and the entire Gaur Empire comes under Harshavardhana's rule. The king of Valabhi and the friend of Pulakeshin II, Dhruvasena II, also had to admit defeat. But instead of fully annexing Harshavardhana's territory to maintain the buffer state, they reinstall Dhruvasena II on the Gauda throne. This was not only a great victory for Harshavardhana, but also an example of his excellent statecraft. Thus, Harshavardhana waves his victory flag in all directions: east, west, north, and south. As a result, their empire extended as far north as the Himalayas, as far south as the Narmada River, as far west as the Arabian Sea, as far east as the Bay of Bengal, and as far east as the Brahmaputra River. War, victory, and the joy of the great northern lord, the load of the noble Naukh, they take the throne. When their war chariot crossed the Narmada River, it is believed that the ruler of Chalukyas, Pulakeshin II, was present, as evidenced by what we see in the Aihole inscription. I Holy Inscription The great battle between Harshavardhana and Pulakeshin II can be seen in the Ravi Kriti inscription, written during the reign of Pulakeshin II. It is written in the Kannada script, despite being in the Sanskrit language. According to the Inscription, Pulakeshin II defeated several other Indian kings besides Harshavardhana. They had changed their capital from Ai Hol to Badami. This inscription also mentions the black slave. Harsavardhan gives up the intention to conquer the southern path due to the excellent defense of Pulakeshin II and focuses all his attention on consolidating northern India. Move forward, Harshavardhana ruled for more than 40 years, but due to the practice of emptying the entire treasury at the time of the Prayaga Assembly and the declining trade in commerce, his empire declined after him. Until now, we have seen their administrative system. Administrative Under Harshavardhana implemented several administrative reforms inspired by the Maurya and Gupta periods. That was the reason they were able to rule for nearly 40 years. But their administration in the comparison was more de-centralized and filled with feudal elements. After the Rajagadhi Samahalana, they change their capital from Thanesar to Kannauj. In a few years, Kannauj becomes the center of gravity of all of northern India. The king was also the commander-in-chief of his army, written by the royal poet Ban Bhatta. Harsha Vardhana also held titles such as Maharaja Adhiraja, Parama Bhataraja, and Parama Mahishvara. They were a generous king and kept an eye on the activities of the personal administration. There was also a council of ministers who advised the king, headed by the Chief Minister. Officials named Avanti were watching the war and peace department. Singham military head was. Sakand Gupta was the head of the elephant unit. And had summoned the head of the civil administration, Samant Maharaj. The entire empire was divided into provinces. The one who was called a beggar The distribution of the land was divided according to the districts. It was the most elite unit of the village administration. A minimum tax was imposed on people. And administrative expenses were controlled from the sugar factory. Land Revenue, known as Bhag, The main source of revenue for the empire was taxation. It was the sixth part of the harvest and was given as a crop. Sales tax and toll tax were other sources of income. In addition, small kings and feudatories also used to pay tribute to the emperor. The Loan Order was good, but it had some flaws. There were several incidents of robbery during the journey, with the thieves themselves speaking in the local language. Land was given to high-ranking officials in exchange for money. As a result, feudalism received significant support during the Harshavardhana period. The credit for the efficient administration also goes to his large and well-trained army. Come on, let's find out Army According to Xuanzang, their army consisted of 60,000 elephants, 50,000 cavalry, and 100,000 infantry. Harshavardhana granted several feudatories land grants to maintain such a large army. We have already seen the good sides of the administration and the army. But the discussion today will remain incomplete without addressing the social economic condition. Let's take a look at Harshavardhan Empire's social life. Social Life The varna system was completely modified during the time of Harshavardhana. The caste system had become an empirical reality within the social system. Membership in different castes was based on birth, and it could not be changed after birth. Inter-caste dining and marriage were prohibited, with strict punishments in place. Unstoppable had taken a big form. But for women of higher castes, this was not possible in normal cases. The practice of purdah had not yet begun, but there were numerous restrictions on women's freedom of movement. The instruction to maintain good relations with the Licchavis was given by the King Harshavardhana himself. Killing any animal was a serious crime. The local population believed in simple and moral living. After the society, now we also discuss the economy of Harshavardhan Empire. Ekanumi under Harsha Her stress period saw a decline in both treatment and commerce, along with a high rate of women's condition deterioration. Because of this, Harshavardhana issued very few coins in the Kamarupa region. Land grants were given instead of money. Which gave the feudal economy a great boost during the Harsha period. The copper plates found in the excavation serve as evidence. Kanauj, Prayag, or Allahabad, and Varanasi were considered major cities of the Harsha Empire. Harsa Kal Riliss Tolerance is also remembered for its economic opportunities. Let's see Relic's Tolerance Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism were popular religions during the Harsha period. Prayag, which is now called Prayag Raj, and Varanasi were once major centers of Hinduism. It emerged as the largest sect of Mahayana Buddhism. Harshavardhan was originally a devotee of Shiva, that is, a Shaivite. But according to Hyeon Sang, they were also a Convinced Mahayana Buddhist. They built many Buddhist stupas along the Ganges River. According to some accounts, a stupa was a 100-foot high structure. But whether they were fully converted to Buddhism or not is still a topic of debate. They also imposed a ban on killing living beings, like Emperor Ashoka. Free food and medicine were arranged for the entire and the destitute. In addition, they used to sincerely contribute to charity. The largest evidence of their charitable activities were the festivals held in Prayag Asmabali and Kanauj Asmabali. Let's first learn about Prayag Asmabali. Prayag Asmabal Harsh Vardhan used to organize a grand religious assembly in Prayag every five years. Where invitations were sent to scholars of all religions Many Shastararth or Dhebetsh events were organized, and all scholars He was the king of all the earth. Read and in the end, whatever was left in the treasure All was given as charity After the Prayag Assembly, we will also learn about the Kannaja Assembly. Kannaj Asmabili Yiun Song spent about eight years during the reign of Harshavardhana. Harsavardhana was so impressed by Xuanzang that he organized the Kanauj Assembly in 643 A.D. in his honor and gave him a large amount of gifts. The main purpose of this assembly was to popularize Mahayana Buddhism. Some scholars believe that this extreme donation practice was an important cause of their empire's decline. In addition to being a generous donor, Harshavardhana was also a great scholar. Let's start with the topic of literature. Literature Harshavardhana himself was the author of three Sanskrit plays: Ratnavali, Priyadarshika, and Nagananda. Their contemporary Bhan Bhata's creations are still famous. Ban Bhat was the royal poet of Harsha, who wrote famous books such as Kadambari and Harshacharita. Harshacharita describes the early life of Harshavardhana, while Kadambari describes a tragic love story of two lovers. These were the words of Literacy, but how could one forget the Nalanda University in the field of Learning? Nalanda University The Nalanda University, established during the Gupta period, along with literary prosperity It reached its peak during the time of Harshavardhana. Thousands of students came here to study from abroad. Considering the impact of Nalanda University Harshavardhan donated 100 acres of land to the university for maintenance. In 1203, Bakhtiyar Khilji set fire to Nalanda University during his military expedition. It is said that there were so many books in the university library that the fire burned for three months. Bakhtiyar Khilji also killed many Buddhist monasteries, which caused great damage to Buddhism in India. There have been some controversies along with Harshvardhan's popularity. Let's take a look. The first controversy is regarding Harshavardhana's caste. According to some historians, Pushyabhti dynasty belonged to the Vaishya caste, but some other historians also consider them as belonging to the Kshatriya caste. The second controversy has remained regarding the Last Great Hindu Emperor of India. Some scholars believe they were the Natha Stanzas Hindus and not that they ruled the entire India. So then, why are they called the Last? Many great Hindu kingdoms, such as Vijayanagar and Maratha, rose. But despite all these controversies Harsh Vardhan will always be remembered for his liberal tolerances, animal welfare policies, donations, and the name Lord Adh Nauth.