Question

How was the rule of King Harshavardhana? What were the changes in the political situation after his death?

Answer 1

Instructions:
The answer to this question can be broken into 2 main parts:

1. Reign of King Harshavardhana (1.5 mark)
2. Rise of chieftains and new kingdoms (1.5 mark)

Solution:
Before the reign of King Harshavardhana, India was shattered into many little kingdoms. It was King Harshavardhana of the Vardhana Dynasty who bound this disintegrated North India together. He ruled from 606-to 647 CE, and his empire was very huge. It covered many parts of present-day North India. His reign was a period of peace with cultural glory.

Besides large empires and emperors like Harsha, there were big landlords or feudal chieftains in different regions of the subcontinent. The emperors acknowledged them as their subordinates, in order to enable the administration of their huge empires. After the death of Emperor Harshavardhana, some of the chieftains started asserting their independence and established their own kingdoms.