Prayaga assembly
Also called: Harsha's assembly at Prayag · Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"
Meaning
The Prayaga assembly was a huge gathering that Harshavardhana held every five years at Prayaga (modern Prayagraj). Prayaga is where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet. At this gathering Harsha gave away his wealth to Buddhists, Brahmins and the poor. It shows Harsha as a generous king who respected all religious groups.
Example
The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who was in India from 630 to 644, saw one of these gatherings. He wrote that the king gave away almost everything he had over many days of gifting.
Don't confuse with
- Kannauj assembly: a separate gathering that Harsha held at Kannauj in Xuanzang's honour. It was a religious meeting, not a gift-giving ceremony held every five years.
Related concepts
- Pushyabhuti dynasty
- Harshavardhana
- Kannauj
- Banabhatta
- Harshacharita
- Kadambari
- Kamarupa
- Varman dynasty
- Xuanzang