Pushyabhuti dynasty (Vardhana dynasty) | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 500–c. 647 CE | |||||||||||||||||
  Map of the Pushyabhutis at their zenith,c. 600-650 CE, forming the Kannauj Empire, and neighbouring polities.[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Sthanvishvara (modernThanesar) Kanyakubja (modernKannauj) | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||
• Established | c. 500 | ||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 647 CE | ||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||
| 648 est.[3][4] | 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
ThePushyabhuti dynasty (IAST: Puṣyabhūti), also known as theVardhana dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Thanesar in northern India during the 6th and 7th centuries. The dynasty reached its zenith under its last rulerHarsha Vardhana (c. 590 – c. 647 CE), whose empire covered much of north and north-western India, extending tillKamarupa in the east andNarmada River in the south. The dynasty initially ruled fromSthanveshvara (modern-day Thanesar,Haryana), but Harsha eventually made Kanyakubja (modern-dayKannauj,Uttar Pradesh) his capital, from where he ruled until 647 CE.
According toHarsha-charita, composed by the court poetBana, the family was known as Pushyabhuti dynasty (IAST: Puṣyabhūti-vaṃśa),[5] or Pushpabhuti dynasty (IAST: Puṣpabhūti-vaṃśa). The manuscripts ofHarsha-charita use the variant "Pushpabhuti", butGeorg Bühler proposed that this was a scribal error, and that the correct name was Pushyabhuti.[6] Several modern scholars now use the form "Pushpabhuti", while others prefer the variant "Pushyabhuti".[7]
Some modern books describe the dynasty as "Vardhana", because the names of its kings end with the suffix "-vardhana". However, this may be misleading as the names of kings of other dynasties also end with this suffix.[5]
No concrete information is available about the origins of the dynasty.Harshacharita by the 7th century poetBana gives a legendary account of their origin, naming Pushyabhuti as the dynasty's founder. According to this legend, Pushyabhuti lived in the Srikanthajanapada (modernKurukshetra district), whose capital was Sthanvishvara (modernThanesar). A devotee ofShiva, Pushyabhuti became involved in atantric ritual at a cremation ground, under the influence of Bhairavacharya, a teacher from "the South". At the end of this ritual, a goddess (identified withLakshmi) anointed him the king and blessed him as the founder of a great dynasty.[8] The Pushyabhuti mentioned in Bana's account appears to be a fictional character, as he is not mentioned in the dynasty's inscriptions or any other source.[9]
During Prabhakarvardhan's rule this dynasty became prominent. His son Harshvardhan further expand Vardhan kingdom in his rule.[10][better source needed]
The writings ofXuanzang and an 8th century Buddhist text, theArya-manjushri-mula-kalpa suggest that the dynasty belonged to theVaishya caste.[11][12]
The Pushyabhuti dynasty originally ruled a small area around their capital Sthaneshvara (Thanesar). According toHans T. Bakker, their ruler Aditya-Vardhana (or Aditya-Sena) was probably a vassal toSharva-varman, theMaukhari king ofKannauj. His successorPrabhakara-Vardhana may have also been a feudatory to the Maukhari king Avanti-Varman in his early days. Prabhakara's daughter Rajyashri married Avanti-Varman's son Graha-Varman. As a result of this marriage, Prabhakara's political status increased significantly, and he assumed the sovereign titleParama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja. ("the one to whom the other kings bow because of his valour and affection").[13]
According to theHarshacharita, after Prabhakara's death, the king ofMalava attacked Kannauj, supported by the ruler ofGauda. The Malava king killed Graha-Varman, and captured Rajyashri.[15] Bana does not mention this king, but historians speculate him to be a ruler of theLater Gupta dynasty.[16] Prabhakara's elder sonRajya-Vardhana defeated the Malava ruler, but was killed by the Gauda king.[17]
TheHarshacharita further states that Prabhakara's younger sonHarsha-Vardhana then vowed to destroy the Gauda king and their allies.[18] Again, Bana does not mention the name of the Gauda king, but historians identify him withShashanka-Deva, the ruler of Bengal (Gauda). Harsha formed an alliance withBhaskar Varman, the king ofKamarupa, and forced Shashanka to retreat. Subsequently, in 606 CE, Harsha was formally crowned as an emperor.[19] He captured a large part of northern India.[20] There are different assessments of the exact extent of Harsha's empire, but he controlled major parts of northern India; his overlordship was accepted by theking of Vallabhi in the west and theKamarupa kingBhaskaravarman in the east; in the south, his empire extended up to theNarmada River.[21]
Harsha eventually made Kanyakubja (modernKannauj inUttar Pradesh) his capital,[6] and ruled till c. 647 CE. He died without an heir, leading to the end of the Pushyabhuti dynasty.[20]
The following are the known rulers of the Pushyabhuti or Vardhana dynasty, with estimated period of reign (IAST names in bracket):[24]
| Ruler | Reign (CE) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pushyabhuti | ~500 | |
| Nāravardhana | 500–525 | |
| Rājyavardhana I | 525–555 | |
| Ādityvardhana | 555–580 | |
| Prabhākaravardhana | 580–605 | |
| Rājyavardhana II | 605–606 | |
| Harṣavardhana | 606–647 |
This probably explains the emergence of Pushyabhuti, a Vaisya by caste and a Saiva by faith, as its ruler
yuan Chwang, who remained in Inda for approximately thirteen years (c. A.DD. 630-44) tells us that Harshavardhana was of 'Fe ishe'(bais) extraction. The Āryamanjuśrimulakalpa also clearly states that the Pushyabhutis belonged to the vaisya caste. According to Tripathi, the suffix ' bhūti ' additionally indicates that Pushyabhuti, the founder of the family was a vaisya
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![Coin of Harshavardhana, c. 606–647 CE. Obverse: portrait of Harshavardhana with a crescent over the head. Reverse: Fan-tailed Garuda standing facing.[1] of Pushyabhuti dynasty](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHarshavardhana_Circa_AD_606-647.jpg)
