Tag: history

Harshavardhana was an Indian Emperor, who ruled over the northern parts of India from 606 A.D to to 647 A.D. His earliest capital was Thaneswar, present-day Haryana. After his accession, King Harshavardhan united the two kingdoms of Thanesar and Kannauj. He also shifted his capital from Thanesar to Kannauj.

Vardhana or Pushyabhuti dynasty was one of the small independent kingdoms formed after the downfall of the Gupta Empire. Prabhakar Vardhana, ruler of Thanesar who belonged to the Pushyabhuti family was the founder of the Vardhana dynasty. The capital was at Thanesar.

Hiuen Tsang was a Chinese Buddhist monk who came to India during the rule of Harshvardhan and studied at Nalanda. From his accounts, it can be said that the Nalanda University was a great center of education and was famous even in far-off countries.

Kalidasa was a Sanskrit poet and dramatist, probably the greatest Indian writer of any epoch. His notable works include the play Abhijnana Shakuntalam. It is a drama depicting love, separation & reunion of King Dushyanta, Sakuntala & their son Bharata.

Harshavardhana was an Indian Emperor, who ruled over the northern parts of India from 606 A.D to to 647 A.D. He was a learner of Buddha's ways and later became a devout Buddhist though initially he was a Shaivite. He built monasteries at the places visited by Gautam Buddha and spent great amount of his wealth on promoting Buddhism. 

The Gupta Empire which had flourished for two centuries,disintegrated around 6th century C.E. Many small kingdoms sprang up at this time. The kingdom of the Vardhanas was one of them. They ruled from Thaneswar in 6th century. Some copper inscriptions, Banas Harshacharita and the Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsangs writings throw light upon this period. Pushyabhuti is the founder of this dynasty. Prabhakaravardhana and Harshavardhana are the prominent kings of the dynasty. After the death of his father, Prabhakaravardhana, and his brother, Rajyavardhana, Harsha became the king of Thaneswar. 

Buddha's followers believe that Nalanda was the name of Buddha in his previous birth. This is famous as an ancient university. Buddha had visited Nalanda. Mention has been made of the 25-metre tall bronze image of Buddha that Harshavardhana gifted to Nalanda.

Buddha's followers believe that Nalanda was the name of Buddha in his previous birth. This is famous as an ancient university. Buddha had visited Nalanda. Mention has been made of the 25-metre tall bronze image of Buddha that Harshavardhana gifted to Nalanda. Kumaragupta had made contributions to a fine arts school here.

'Meghdoot' is a poetic creation of Kalidasa and is one among his very famous works. Yaksha is exiled by King Kuber for having neglected his duties. In this situation, the yaksha stops a passing cloud and persuades it to carry a message of love to his wife who lives near the Kailash mountain. He describes the beautiful scenery on the route to his wife's place. Even today this poem is famous all over the world. It has been translated into all the Indian languages and major languages of the world.