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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Harishchandra
| title = Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara
| succession = King of [[Ganga-Yamuna Doab|Antaravedi]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1175|08|10|df=yes}}<ref name="x755">{{cite web | title=History of the Rāshṭrakūṭas | last=Reu | first=Bisheshwar Nath | url=https://ia802908.us.archive.org/31/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.215812/2015.215812.History-Of_text.pdf | access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref>
| reign = c. 1194– ?
| predecessor = [[Jayachandra]]
| house-type = Dynasty
| house = [[Gahadavala]]
| father = Jayachandra
}}

'''Harishchandra''' ({{IAST3|Harīścandra}}; 10 August 1175 – ?) was an Indian king from the [[Gahadavala]] dynasty. The last known king from the family's imperial branch, he probably ruled a part of his ancestral kingdom in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]].

== Early life ==
Harishchandra was a son of the Gahadavala king [[Jayachandra]]. He has been mentioned in two of his father's inscriptions, which suggest that he was born in about 1175 CE. An inscription dated 10 August 1175 CE (1232 [[Vikrama Samvat|VS]]) records a grant made on the occasion of the [[jatakarma]]n (childbirth) ceremony of Harishchandra. Another inscription dated 10 August 1175 CE records a second grant made to celebrate the [[namakarana]] (naming) ceremony of Harishchandra.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=113}}

== Reign ==
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"properties": { "marker-symbol": "monument", "title": "[[Kotwa]]" },
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"type": "Feature",
"properties": { "marker-symbol": "monument", "title": "[[Belkhara, Uttar Pradesh|Belkhara]]" },
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After Jayachandra was defeated and killed in action against the [[Ghurids]], Harishchandra succeeded him on the Gahadavala throne. He was around 19 years old at the time.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=113}} According to one theory, he was a Ghurid vassal. However, in an inscription found at Kotwa (near [[Machhali Shahar]]), he assumes the traditional sovereign titles: ''Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara'', ''Ashva-pati Nara-pati Gaja-pati Rajatrayadhipati'', and ''Vividha-vidya-vichara-vachaspati''.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=113-114}} This inscription is dated 6 January 1197, and records the grant of a village by Harishchandra. It was issued from Chyavaneshvara-[[Ghat]]ta on [[Ganga]], at Dhanamvakra.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=258}}

It is possible that Harishchandra continued to rule Kanyakubja (Kannauj) after Jayachandra's death. No contemporary Muslim historians mention that the Ghurids captured the city in 1193 CE. The ''[[Tabaqat-i Nasiri]]'' states that the Ghurid army marched towards Kannauj, but does not state whether it reached the city or not. According to it, Kannauj was captured only years later by [[Iltutmish]] (r. 1211-1236), who issued coins to celebrate this conquest. Other contemporary accounts, such as ''Taj-ul-Maasir'' and ''Kamil-ut-Tawarikh'' do not mention Kannauj among the places visited and sacked by the Ghurid army either. [[Firishta]] was the earliest writer to claim that the Muslims captured Kannauj in the 1190s, but his account can be ignored as inaccurate because he flourished several decades later, in the 16th century.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=115}}

These evidences suggest that Harishchandra may have been able to retain a part of his ancestral kingdom, possibly including [[Varanasi]].{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=116}}

An inscription dated 29 April 1197 CE, found at Belkhara in [[Mirzapur district]], mentions that it was issued under the rule of a feudatory (''ranaka'') named Vijayakarna. It records the erection of a [[Ganesha]] pillar. The inscription does not mention Harishchandra, but states that it was issued in the "victorious kingdom of Kanyakubja", and mentions the usual titles of the Gahadavala kings. It is possible that a struggle was going on between Harishchandra and the Muslim generals at that time. In these uncertain times, Vijayakarna may have avoided explicitly naming a particular overlord in the inscription so as not to displease the rival of that overlord.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=114-115}}

The ultimate fate of Harishchandra is not known, but he was probably defeated by the [[Delhi Sultanate]] under Iltutmish. A 1237 inscription issued during the reign of one Adakkamalla of Gahadavala family was found in [[Nagod State]] (present-day [[Satna district]] of [[Madhya Pradesh]]). It is possible that Adakkamalla was the successor of Harishchandra.{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=272}} Another possibility is that Adakkamalla was from a different branch of the dynasty. One of his ancestors might have been granted a small [[fief]] by his relative [[Govindachandra (Gahadavala dynasty)|Govindachandra]] in the newly annexed [[Kalachuris of Tripuri|Kalachuri]] territory. Nothing is known about Adakkamalla's predecessors or successors.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=115-117}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |author=Roma Niyogi |title=The History of the Gāhaḍavāla Dynasty |publisher=Oriental |year=1959 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJQBAAAAMAAJ |oclc=5386449 }}
* {{cite book |author=Sailendra Nath Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA172 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |publisher=New Age International |year=1999 |isbn=9788122411980 }}

{{Gahadavala dynasty}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gahadavala kings]]
[[Category:12th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:1175 births]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]

Harishchandra (Gahadavala dynasty) - Revision history

BenjaminWoodard: starting a entry basic info