Pushyabhuti dynasty

The Pushyabhuti dynasty, also called the Vardhana dynasty, was a ruling family in northern India during the 6th and 7th centuries. They governed the Kingdom of Thanesar and later expanded their rule to cover much of north and north-western India.

Their most famous ruler was Harsha Vardhana, who lived around 590 to 647 CE. Under his leadership, the empire grew large, stretching to Kamarupa in the east and the Narmada River in the south. At first, the dynasty ruled from Sthanveshvara, which is today known as Thanesar in Haryana. Later, Harsha made Kanyakubja, now called Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, his capital and ruled from there until 647 CE.

Etymology and origins

The Pushyabhuti dynasty, also called the Vardhana dynasty, gets its name from its rulers' family. According to the book Harsha-charita by the poet Bana, the dynasty's founder was named Pushyabhuti. The story says Pushyabhuti lived in a place called Srikantha janapada, now part of Kurukshetra district. The capital was Sthanvishvara, now Thanesar.

The tale describes Pushyabhuti as a follower of the god Shiva. In a special ceremony, a goddess linked to Lakshmi chose him to be a king. However, Pushyabhuti might not be a real historical figure, as he isn’t named in the dynasty’s inscriptions. Travelers like Xuanzang and old Buddhist writings suggest the dynasty’s people were from the Vaishya group.

Geography

The empire ruled by Prabhakaravardhana had its capital in Sthanisvara in the area known as Kurukshetra. The kingdom of Thanesar was very large, stretching over many miles. During its strongest time under Harsha, the kingdom grew even larger, reaching many parts of northern India.

Scholars sometimes call this dynasty "Vardhana" because the kings' names all end in "-vardhana". However, other royal families also used similar names, so this can be confusing.

History

The Pushyabhuti dynasty started near their capital Thanesar. One of their early rulers, Aditya-Vardhana, may have been under another king at first. His successor, Prabhakaravardhana, became very powerful and took a special royal title.

The dynasty began with Pushyabhuti around 500 CE. Later kings sometimes ruled under bigger empires. Prabhakaravardhana was a strong king known far away. After his death, his son Harsha-Vardhana worked to defeat his enemies. By 606 CE, Harsha was crowned emperor and ruled much of northern India until about 647 CE. When he died without a successor, the dynasty ended.

Culture

The kingdom of Thanesar was a place where people used special wheels to move water for growing crops like rice, beans, and wheat. They followed old traditions such as Agnihotra and Yajna, which were fire rituals. Women wore short dresses called Kanchuka, along with flower wreaths. Each village had leaders called Mahattaras.

Most people in the kingdom made their living by trading goods. Rich families collected rare items from faraway lands. Buddhism was not very common there, as the kingdom had many Hindu temples compared to just a few Buddhist monasteries in Thanesar. Rice grew on the lower slopes of the Himalayas, and sugar cane was grown in the eastern parts of the kingdom. Milk and fruits were also plentiful.

Rulers

The Pushyabhuti or Vardhana dynasty had several rulers. Here are the known rulers with their estimated years of rule. Their names are shown in IAST.

List of Rulers–