Harsha's father, Prabhākara was from Thaneshwar, his brother followed Hinayana Buddhism while, according to Bana, Harsha himself was a Mahayana Buddhist.
According to the Chinese Pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited his kingdom in 636, Harsha built numerous stupas in the name of Buddha. Xuanzang entered a grand competition organized by Harsha and won the theological debate. Harsha also became a patron of art and literature. He made numerous endowments to the University at Nalanda. Two seals of Harsha have been found in Nalanda in the course of the excavations. All these favours and donations of the great emperor were crowned by the construction of a lofty wall enclosing all the buildings of the university to defend the institution from any other possible attack. In 643 he held a Buddhist convocation at Kannauj which was reputedly attended by 20 kings and thousands of pilgrims.
In 641, following Xuanzang's visit, Harsha sent a mission to China which established the first diplomatic relations between China and India. The Chinese responded by sending an embassy consisting of Li Yibiao and Wang Xuanze, who probably traveled through Tibet and whose journey is commemorated in inscriptions at Rajagriha – modern Rajgir, and Bodhgaya.
Harsha was a noted author on his own merit. He wrote three Sanskrit plays – Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarsika. His reign is comparatively well documented, thanks to his court poet Bana and Xuanzang. Bana composed an account of Harsha's rise to power in Harsha Charitha, the first historical poetic work in Sanskrit language. Xuanzang wrote a full description of his travels in India.
info from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harsha
ஹர்ஷர் புத்தரைப் போற்றும் செய்தியைப் படத்துடன் பகிர்ந்தமைக்கு நன்றி. தொடர்ந்து மற்ற மன்னர்கள் பௌத்தத்திற்கு அளித்த பங்களிப்பினை எதிர்பார்க்கிறோம்.
ReplyDeleteவணக்கம். தங்களது பதிவுகளைப் படித்துவருகிறேன். எனது வலைப்பூவில் கனவில் வந்த காந்தி என்ற பதிவில் தங்கள் பெயரை இணைத்துள்ளேன். பார்க்கவும் இணைப்பைத் தொடரவும் அழைக்கிறேன். நன்றி.
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