Rajyavardhana - Revision history

Rohit Singh at 04:34, 24 November 2025

2025-11-24T04:34:54Z

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			{{Short description\|King of Thanesar from 605 to 606}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2016}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2016}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=January 2016}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=January 2016}}
	{{Infobox royalty		{{Infobox royalty
	\| succession = ~~5th Vardhana~~ King		\| succession = King of Thanesar
	\| reign = {{circa\|605\|606 CE}}		\| reign = {{circa\|605\|606}}
	\| predecessor = [[Prabhakarvardhana]]		\| predecessor = [[Prabhakarvardhana]]
	\| successor = [[Harsha]]		\| successor = [[Harsha]]
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	\| mother = [[Yasomati]]		\| mother = [[Yasomati]]
	}}		}}
	'''Rajyavardhana''', also known as '''Rajya Vardhan''', was the eldest son of [[Prabhakarvardhana]] and member of the [[Pushyabhuti dynasty]]. He ascended the throne after his father's death and was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Harsha]].		'''Rajyavardhana''', also known as '''Rajya Vardhan''', was the Emperor of Thanesar from 605 to 606, and the eldest son of [[Prabhakarvardhana]] and member of the [[Pushyabhuti dynasty]]. He ascended the throne after his father's death and was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Harsha]].

	Contemporary information regarding the life of Rajyavardhana is limited in scope and utility. He is mentioned by [[Xuanzang]], the Chinese traveller, and in ''[[Harshacharita]]'', a seventh-century CE work by the poet and bard [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]]. Neither offer impartial accounts and they differ in substantive details.{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}} The military historian Kaushik Roy describes ''Harshacharita'' as "historical fiction" but with a factually correct foundation.{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}		Contemporary information regarding the life of Rajyavardhana is limited in scope and utility. He is mentioned by [[Xuanzang]], the Chinese traveller, and in ''[[Harshacharita]]'', a seventh-century CE work by the poet and bard [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]]. Neither offer impartial accounts and they differ in substantive details.{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}} The military historian Kaushik Roy describes ''Harshacharita'' as "historical fiction" but with a factually correct foundation.{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}

	Rajyavardhana was the elder of two sons of Prabhakarvardhana and his queen, [[Yasomati]]. The couple also had a daughter, [[Rajyashri]], who married [[Grahavarman]], a member of the [[Maukhari]] ruling family at [[Kannauj]].{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}} Prabhakarvardana was the powerful ruler of the [[Thanesar]] region around 585-606 CE, although exact dates are uncertain. The historian [[Ramesh Chandra Majumdar]] says he died and was succeeded by Rajyavardhana in 604 CE{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}} but Kaushik Roy gives 606 CE as the year,{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}} and some sources say 605.{{sfnp\|Allan\|Haig\|Dodwell\|1934\|p=105\|ps=}} Prabhakarvardhana had expanded his territory by defeating rulers in [[Gujarat]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Sind]], and he had also resisted the invasion of the [[Huna people]]. He died while his sons were fighting the Hunas.{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}		Rajyavardhana was the elder of two sons of Prabhakarvardhana and his queen, [[Yasomati]]. The couple also had a daughter, [[Rajyashri]], who married [[Grahavarman]], a member of the [[Maukhari]] ruling family at [[Kannauj]].{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}} Prabhakarvardana was the powerful ruler of the [[Thanesar]] region around 585-606, although exact dates are uncertain. The historian [[Ramesh Chandra Majumdar]] says he died and was succeeded by Rajyavardhana in 604{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}} but Kaushik Roy gives 606 as the year,{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}} and some sources say 605.{{sfnp\|Allan\|Haig\|Dodwell\|1934\|p=105\|ps=}} Prabhakarvardhana had expanded his territory by defeating rulers in [[Gujarat]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Sind]], and he had also resisted the invasion of the [[Huna people]]. He died while his sons were fighting the Hunas.{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}

	The marriage alliance of Grahavarman and Rajyashri had strengthened ties between the families to a point that [[Shashanka]], the ruler of the [[Gauda kingdom]] in [[Bengal]], found unacceptable. He retaliated by allying with the [[Malava kingdom]] and the forces appear to have launched a successful surprise attack on the Maukhari capital at Kannauj. Grahavarman was killed and Rajyashri captured at this time, which caused Rajyavardhana to retaliate in turn. He commanded a 10,000-strong [[cavalry]] force that was successful in defeating the Malava ruler, with the main army of [[infantry]] and [[war elephant]]s supporting it under the charge of his younger brother, Harsha.{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}}{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}		The marriage alliance of Grahavarman and Rajyashri had strengthened ties between the families to a point that [[Shashanka]], the ruler of the [[Gauda kingdom]] in [[Bengal]], found unacceptable. He retaliated by allying with the [[Malava kingdom]] and the forces appear to have launched a successful surprise attack on the Maukhari capital at Kannauj. Grahavarman was killed and Rajyashri captured at this time, which caused Rajyavardhana to retaliate in turn. He commanded a 10,000-strong [[cavalry]] force that was successful in defeating the Malava ruler, with the main army of [[infantry]] and [[war elephant]]s supporting it under the charge of his younger brother, Harsha.{{sfnp\|Majumdar\|1977\|pp=249-251\|ps=}}{{sfnp\|Roy\|2013\|pp=21-22\|ps=}}
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	{{refbegin}}		{{refbegin}}
	*{{citation \|editor1-first=J. \|editor1-last=Allan \|editor2-first=T. Wolseley \|editor2-last=Haig \|editor3-first=H. H. \|editor3-last=Dodwell \|title=The Cambridge Shorter History of India \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|year=1934 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_48AAAAIAAJ}}		*{{citation \|editor1-first=J. \|editor1-last=Allan \|editor2-first=T. Wolseley \|editor2-last=Haig \|editor3-first=H. H. \|editor3-last=Dodwell \|title=The Cambridge Shorter History of India \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|year=1934 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_48AAAAIAAJ}}
	*{{citation \|title=Ancient India \|first=Ramesh Chandra \|last=Majumdar \|authorlink=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar \|edition=Reprinted \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass \|year=1977 \|~~origyear~~=1952 \|isbn=978-8-12080-436-4 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC}}		*{{citation \|title=Ancient India \|first=Ramesh Chandra \|last=Majumdar \|authorlink=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar \|edition=Reprinted \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass \|year=1977 \|orig-date=1952 \|isbn=978-8-12080-436-4 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC}}
	*{{citation \|title=Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers \|chapter=Bana \|first=Kaushik \|last=Roy \|editor1-first=Daniel \|editor1-last=Coetzee \|editor2-first=Lee W. \|editor2-last=Eysturlid \|publisher=ABC-CLIO \|year=2013 \|isbn=978-0-313-07033-4 \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DW2jAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21}}		*{{citation \|title=Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers \|chapter=Bana \|first=Kaushik \|last=Roy \|editor1-first=Daniel \|editor1-last=Coetzee \|editor2-first=Lee W. \|editor2-last=Eysturlid \|publisher=ABC-CLIO \|year=2013 \|isbn=978-0-313-07033-4 \|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DW2jAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21}}
	*{{citation \|title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib \|first=Nitish K. \|last=Sengupta \|publisher=Penguin Books India \|year=2011 \|isbn=978-0-14341-678-4 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA34}}		*{{citation \|title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib \|first=Nitish K. \|last=Sengupta \|publisher=Penguin Books India \|year=2011 \|isbn=978-0-14341-678-4 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA34}}
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	* {{cite book \|title=The Harsa-carita of Bana \|author=Banabhatta \|authorlink=Banabhatta \|translator=[[Edward Byles Cowell]] \|translator2=[[F. W. Thomas]] \|url=https://archive.org/stream/harsacaritaofban00banaiala#page/n7/mode/2up\|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society \|year=1897}}		* {{cite book \|title=The Harsa-carita of Bana \|author=Banabhatta \|authorlink=Banabhatta \|translator=[[Edward Byles Cowell]] \|translator2=[[F. W. Thomas]] \|url=https://archive.org/stream/harsacaritaofban00banaiala#page/n7/mode/2up\|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society \|year=1897}}

	~~[[Category:6th-century Indian monarchs]]~~
	[[Category:7th-century Indian monarchs]]		[[Category:7th-century Indian monarchs]]
	[[Category:Pushyabhuti ~~dynasty~~]]		[[Category:Pushyabhuti monarchs]]

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2020-09-30T21:42:28Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession = 5th Vardhana King
| reign = {{circa|605|606 CE}}
| predecessor = [[Prabhakarvardhana]]
| successor = [[Harsha]]
| dynasty = [[Pushyabhuti dynasty]]
| father = [[Prabhakarvardhana]]
| mother = [[Yasomati]]
}}
'''Rajyavardhana''', also known as '''Rajya Vardhan''', was the eldest son of [[Prabhakarvardhana]] and member of the [[Pushyabhuti dynasty]]. He ascended the throne after his father's death and was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Harsha]].

Contemporary information regarding the life of Rajyavardhana is limited in scope and utility. He is mentioned by [[Xuanzang]], the Chinese traveller, and in ''[[Harshacharita]]'', a seventh-century CE work by the poet and bard [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]]. Neither offer impartial accounts and they differ in substantive details.{{sfnp|Majumdar|1977|pp=249-251|ps=}} The military historian Kaushik Roy describes ''Harshacharita'' as "historical fiction" but with a factually correct foundation.{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}}

Rajyavardhana was the elder of two sons of Prabhakarvardhana and his queen, [[Yasomati]]. The couple also had a daughter, [[Rajyashri]], who married [[Grahavarman]], a member of the [[Maukhari]] ruling family at [[Kannauj]].{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}} Prabhakarvardana was the powerful ruler of the [[Thanesar]] region around 585-606 CE, although exact dates are uncertain. The historian [[Ramesh Chandra Majumdar]] says he died and was succeeded by Rajyavardhana in 604 CE{{sfnp|Majumdar|1977|pp=249-251|ps=}} but Kaushik Roy gives 606 CE as the year,{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}} and some sources say 605.{{sfnp|Allan|Haig|Dodwell|1934|p=105|ps=}} Prabhakarvardhana had expanded his territory by defeating rulers in [[Gujarat]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Sind]], and he had also resisted the invasion of the [[Huna people]]. He died while his sons were fighting the Hunas.{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}}

The marriage alliance of Grahavarman and Rajyashri had strengthened ties between the families to a point that [[Shashanka]], the ruler of the [[Gauda kingdom]] in [[Bengal]], found unacceptable. He retaliated by allying with the [[Malava kingdom]] and the forces appear to have launched a successful surprise attack on the Maukhari capital at Kannauj. Grahavarman was killed and Rajyashri captured at this time, which caused Rajyavardhana to retaliate in turn. He commanded a 10,000-strong [[cavalry]] force that was successful in defeating the Malava ruler, with the main army of [[infantry]] and [[war elephant]]s supporting it under the charge of his younger brother, Harsha.{{sfnp|Majumdar|1977|pp=249-251|ps=}}{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}}

Rajyavardhana's success was against an advance guard of his enemy. He died later in 606 as he made his way onwards to press an action at Kannauj itself. He was perhaps murdered by Shashanka, who may have invited him to a meeting with treachery in mind, although the only sources for this claim are Bāṇabhaṭṭa and Xuanzang, who both had reasons to write unfavourably of Shashanka.{{sfnp|Majumdar|1977|pp=249-251|ps=}}{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}}{{sfnp|Sengupta|2011|p=35|ps=}}

Harsha succeeded Rajyavardhana as ruler of Thanesar and vowed to avenge his brother's death.{{sfnp|Roy|2013|pp=21-22|ps=}}

== References ==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}
'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation |editor1-first=J. |editor1-last=Allan |editor2-first=T. Wolseley |editor2-last=Haig |editor3-first=H. H. |editor3-last=Dodwell |title=The Cambridge Shorter History of India |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1934 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_48AAAAIAAJ}}
*{{citation |title=Ancient India |first=Ramesh Chandra |last=Majumdar |authorlink=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1977 |origyear=1952 |isbn=978-8-12080-436-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC}}
*{{citation |title=Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers |chapter=Bana |first=Kaushik |last=Roy |editor1-first=Daniel |editor1-last=Coetzee |editor2-first=Lee W. |editor2-last=Eysturlid |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-313-07033-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DW2jAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21}}
*{{citation |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib |first=Nitish K. |last=Sengupta |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-14341-678-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA34}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |title=The Harsa-carita of Bana |author=Banabhatta |authorlink=Banabhatta |translator=[[Edward Byles Cowell]] |translator2=[[F. W. Thomas]] |url=https://archive.org/stream/harsacaritaofban00banaiala#page/n7/mode/2up|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society |year=1897}}

[[Category:6th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:7th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Pushyabhuti dynasty]]