Question

Banabhatta wrote Harshavardhana’s biography. What is the name of this book?

Answer 1

Hint: King Harsha also known as Harshavardhana ruled North India from 606 to 6647 CE. He was an emperor of the Vardhana dynasty. Banabhatta was poet in Harshavardhana’s court.

Complete Step by Step answer:
Banabhatta was Sanskrit writer of India. He was born in Prittikutu village and was the court poet in Harshavardhana’s court. He wrote Harshavardhana’s biography called the ‘Harshacharita’. The Harshacharita is Banabhatta’s first historical work. This book gives us an idea of king Harsha’s early life and ancestry. It also portrays a graphic illustration about life in the countryside and its natural environment.

The Harshacharita is written in ornamental language in a poetic form, narrating the biography of Harsha in eight chapters. Banabhatta’s other work is ‘Kadambari’. The Kadambari is said to be such a work that while reading it, eating of food would also be forgotten. Banabhatta’s writing style was melodious and rhythmic. However he died before completing Kadambari and it was completed by his son Bhushan Bhatt.

During Harsha’s rule a Chinese traveller named Hsuan Tsang came to India. He stayed for 15 years and took interest in studying the Mahayana and the Hinayana Buddhism. Hsuan Tsang’s account of Harsha’s rule is an important source to reconstruct the period.

Note: Since Banabhatta was the court poet of Harshavardhana, the details in his book Harshacharita are not unbiased. It is written in fancy style and speaks highly of the king. Historians who belong to the Jat community believe that Harshavardhana was a Buddhist Jat. Banabhatta is an unmatched among the stars of Indian literacy. He has a distinctive style and fluency in the Sanskrit language.