Question

‘Harsha Charita’ was written by ___________.
a)Kalidasa
b)Vishakhadatta
c)Banabhatta
d)Harsha

Answer 1

Hint: Harsha Charita or Harshacharitam is written by the same author who is attributed with the creation of Chandishtaka and Parvathi Parinayam.

Complete answer: The options mention some of the finest Sanskrit authors who have created great literary works in Sanskrit. So, let’s take a look at the options one by one.
a)Kalidasa: Kalidasa was a poet in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya who has written Abhijnanashakuntalam, Ritusamhara, Kiratarjuniyam, Vikramorvashiyam, Meghdootam, etc. Since the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya and Harshavardhana were centuries apart, this option is out of bounds. So, it is an incorrect option.
b)Vishakhadatta: Vishakahdatta was an eminent author who had written two important plays by the names Mudrarakshasam and Devichandraguptam which deals with the Mauryan and the Gupta ages respectively. Since Harshavardhana was not reigning in any of these ages, this option is out of bounds. So, it is an incorrect option.
c)Banabhatta: Banabhatta was the court poet of the iconic ruler of Pushyabhuti dynasty, Harshavardhana. He wrote Harshacharitam as a depiction of Harshavardhana’s life right from his birth to death in detail. So, it is the correct option.
d)Harsha: Harsha was himself a brilliant author and has authored three plays by the names Ratnavali, Priyadarshika and Nagananda. However, he did not write his biography. So, it is an incorrect option.
Therefore, option c is correct.

Note: Banabhatta has also authored one of the earliest novels of the world as well, that is Kadambari. However, he died before this novel was enacted into a play.