Harisena
Topic: Gupta Empire and the Classical Age · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 7 "The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity"
Meaning
Harisena was a court poet and high officer of Samudragupta (c. 335–375 CE). He wrote the Prayaga Prashasti in Sanskrit. A prashasti is a poem written to praise a king. This one is carved on the Allahabad Pillar. It is our main source for Samudragupta's wars and his goal of dharani-bandha, "to unify the Earth". Harisena also held offices such as sandhivigrahika (minister of peace and war). Because he was a paid praise-poet, historians treat his words as poetry, not as a plain, exact record.
Example
In the Prayaga Prashasti, Harisena calls Samudragupta "without an antagonist on earth" and "equal to Kubera, Varuna, Indra and Yama". He also praises the king's learning, his music, and his support for art and trade. The inscription lists kings who were defeated but given back their thrones as tribute-payers. Among them are the Pallavas and Kamarupa.
Don't confuse with
- Harshavardhana / Banabhatta: Harsha was a 7th-century king. Banabhatta was his court poet and wrote the Harshacharita. Harisena belongs to the 4th-century Gupta court.