Pushyabhuti dynasty
Also called: Vardhana dynasty · Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 3 "Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries"
Meaning
The Pushyabhuti dynasty, also called the Vardhana dynasty, was a royal family of north India. Its early capital was Sthaneshvara (Thanesar, in Haryana). Its most famous king, Harshavardhana, came to the throne in 606 CE. He ruled from Kannauj over large parts of north and east India, though historians are not sure exactly how far his rule reached. The dynasty ended with Harsha's death in 647.
Example
Harshavardhana tried to push south but was stopped at the Narmada river by the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II. Harsha's ally in the east was Bhaskaravarman, king of Kamarupa.
Don't confuse with
- Pushyamitra Shunga: founder of the Shunga dynasty in the 2nd century BCE, many centuries earlier. He had no link with Harsha's family.
Related concepts
- Harshavardhana
- Kannauj
- Banabhatta
- Harshacharita
- Kadambari
- Kamarupa
- Varman dynasty
- Prayaga assembly
- Xuanzang