Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty
Dynasty
Level 2
★ Major power
c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE
Dynasty of Harshavardhana, the last great north Indian emperor before the Pratiharas.
- Capital
- Thanesar, later Kannauj
- Region
- North
- Duration
- 147 years
- Main period
- Post-Gupta / Early Medieval
Changing extent
Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
Rulers
- Prabhakaravardhana Kingc. 580 CE – c. 605 CE
- Rajyavardhana King605 CE – 606 CEKilled by Shashanka.
- Harshavardhana Emperor606 CE – 647 CEKannauj assembly; Banabhatta's Harshacharita.
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 606 CE | Harsha becomes king Harshavardhana ascended the throne in 606 CE at Kannauj. He belonged to the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty, whose earlier capital was Sthaneshvara (present-day Thanesar in Haryana). |
Thanesar |
| c. 612 CE | Harsha makes Kannauj his capital Ruling from Kannauj (ancient Kanyakubja), Harsha expanded his empire over large parts of northern and eastern India; his court poet Banabhatta wrote his biography, the Harshacharita. Kannauj became the imperial city of north India. |
Kannauj |
| c. 636 CE | Xuanzang studies at Nalanda Chinese pilgrim travelled in India c. 630-645. |
Nalanda |
| 643 CE | Harsha's assemblies at Kannauj and Prayag In honour of the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, Harsha held an assembly at Kannauj attended by kings and leaders of many sects; every five years he held an assembly at Prayaga where he gave away wealth to Buddhists, Brahmins and the poor. |
Kannauj |
| 647 CE | Death of Harsha | Kannauj |
Personalities
Xuanzang
c. 602 CE – c. 664 CE
Chinese pilgrim who studied at Nalanda and visited Harsha's court
Banabhatta
active c. 630 CE
Author of the Harshacharita and Kadambari
📚 Recommended reading on the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →
📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
How feudal was Indian feudalism?
The case for 'Indian feudalism' after the Guptas: land grants, decline of trade and dependent peasants.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Was there feudalism in Indian history?
The best-known critique of the feudalism model; read it alongside R. S. Sharma's reply.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra
Ideas of kingship, power and war in the Nītisāra, an early medieval text on statecraft.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Urbanisation in South India: The Role of Ideology and Polity
How temples and royal power drove the growth of towns in early medieval South India.
🕸 Connections 20 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Medieval IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Post-Gupta / Early MedievalBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 3
- Gupta Empire 240 CE – 550 CEExisted at the same time (50 years)
- Pallava Dynasty 275 CE – 897 CEExisted at the same time (147 years)
- Chalukyas of Badami 543 CE – 753 CEExisted at the same time (104 years)
👑 Rulers 3
- Prabhakaravardhana 580 CE – 605 CERuled it
- Rajyavardhana 605 CE – 606 CERuled it
- Harshavardhana 606 CE – 647 CERuled it
👤 People 2
- Xuanzang c. 602 CE – c. 664 CELived under it
- Banabhatta active c. 630 CELived under it
⚔ Events 5
- Harsha becomes king 606 CEHappened in it
- Harsha makes Kannauj his capital c. 612 CEHappened in it
- Xuanzang studies at Nalanda c. 636 CEHappened in it
- Harsha's assemblies at Kannauj and Prayag 643 CEHappened in it
- Death of Harsha 647 CEHappened in it
📄 Research 3
- How feudal was Indian feudalism? R. S. Sharma · 1985Research on this topic
- Was there feudalism in Indian history? Harbans Mukhia · 1981Research on this topic
- Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra Upinder Singh · 2010Research on this topic
📚 Books 2
- Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8) NCERTRecommended reading
- Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12) NCERTRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 147 years
Gupta Empire ★
Gangetic Plain · c. 240 CE – c. 550 CE
Overlap: 50 years
Pallava Dynasty ★
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Overlap: 147 years
Chalukyas of Badami ★
Deccan · c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Overlap: 104 years
Kalabhra Interregnum
South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE
Overlap: 100 years
Kadamba Dynasty
South · c. 345 CE – c. 525 CE
Overlap: 25 years
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Overlap: 147 years
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Overlap: 147 years
Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 147 years
Alchon Huns (Hunas)
Northwest · c. 460 CE – c. 560 CE
Overlap: 60 years
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Overlap: 147 years
Rai Dynasty of Sindh
Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE
Overlap: 132 years
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 147 years
Maukhari Dynasty
Gangetic Plain · c. 550 CE – c. 606 CE
Overlap: 56 years
Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka)
East · c. 590 CE – c. 626 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)
South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE
Overlap: 57 years