Harshacharita
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
The Harshacharita ("The Deeds of Harsha") is a Sanskrit biography of Harshavardhana. A biography is the story of a person's life. Harsha's court poet Banabhatta (Bana) wrote it in the 7th century CE. It praises the king, but it is still a key source on his family, his rise to power and his court. It also gives a rare picture of ordinary life, including women at work in farming, crafts and the royal court.
Example
The Harshacharita describes a village at the edge of a forest in the Vindhya hills. It shows people clearing land, collecting forest produce and doing small farming work. Very few texts of that time describe such places.
Don't confuse with
- Kadambari: also written by Bana, but it is a made-up romance story, not the life of a real king.
- Rajatarangini: Kalhana's 12th-century history of the kings of Kashmir. It is not a praise-biography of one ruler.
Related concepts
- Pushyabhuti dynasty
- Harshavardhana
- Kannauj
- Banabhatta
- Kadambari
- Kamarupa
- Varman dynasty
- Prayaga assembly
- Xuanzang