Harsha (reigned c. 905 – 925 CE), also known as Shri Harsha (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Śri Harśa), was a king of the

Chandela The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs. ...

dynasty of India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region (

Bundelkhand Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...

in present-day

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

). Harsha married the

Chahamana Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...

princess Kanchuka, which indicates a rise in his social status. Harsha's successor

Yashovarman Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was a medieval Indian ruler of Kannauj, who founded the Varman dynasty of Kannauj. There are few sources that provide information of his life, although he was indubitably a powerful man. Life Yashovarman was k ...

was their son. The inscriptions do not mention which particular branch of the Chahamanas did Kanchuka belong to. Harsha is believed to have maintained friendly relations with the

Kalachuris The Kalachuris ( IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to distinguish them ...

. The Varanasi grant of the Kalachuri king Lakshmi-Karna states that he "granted freedom from fear" to Bhoja II, Vallabha-raja), and a king named Harsha. This Harsha has been identified with the Chandela king by some historians, although R. K. Dikshit identifies him with a

Guhila Gahlot is a clan of Rajputs Guhilot Rajputs ruled number of Kingdom's including Mewar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Shahpura, Bhavnagar, Palitana, Lathi and Vala, The variations of the name include Gehlot, Guhila, Gohil or Guhilot. Hi ...

prince of Chatsu. The inscription probably implies that Lakshmi-Karna assured these kings that he would not fight wars against them. The same grant also states that the Chandela princess Natta (or Nattakhyadevi) married the Kalachuri king Kokkala I. Natta was probably related to Harsha in some way. R. K. Dikshit theorizes that she was his sister or his paternal aunt. According to a fragmentary

Khajuraho Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous f ...

inscription, Harsha restored a king named Kshitipala-deva on the throne. This Kshitipala has been identified with the

Gurjara-Pratihara The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Hindustan, Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj. The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving ...

ruler

Mahipala Mahipala (or Mahipala I; ) was a notable king of the Pala dynasty, which ruled over much of the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent between the 8th and 12th centuries. He was the son and successor of Vigrahapala II. Mahipala's reign marke ...

. Harsha probably helped Mahipala restore the Pratihara ruler after the

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

king

Indra III Indra III (reigned 914–929 CE) was the grandson of Rashtrakuta Krishna II and son of Chedi princess Lakshmi. He became the ruler of the empire due to the early demise of his father Jagattunga.From the Sangli, Karhad, Deoli and Bagumra inscri ...

sacked the Pratihara capital

Kannauj Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the class ...

around 915 CE. Another theory is that Harsha helped Mahipala overthrow the latter's step-brother Bhoja II. Because of the fragmentary nature of the inscription, it is hard to draw any conclusions with certainty. Several inscriptions of Harsha's descendants eulogize him using conventional terms, praising him for good qualities such as bravery, generosity, modesty, and statesmanship. The Khajuraho epigraphs claim that he ruled the entire earth. He is the earliest known Chandela king to have been given the imperial titles ''Paramabhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara''. These inscriptions also mention his military successes in vague terms, but do not specifically name any enemies. Although very little purely historical information is available about Harsha, the available evidence suggests that he was more influential than any of his predecessors, and paved the way for the rise of the Chandelas as a sovereign power.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Chandelas of Jejakabhukti Chandelas of Jejakabhukti 10th-century Indian monarchs