प्रियदर्शिका नाटिका (सम्राट हर्षवर्धन - चतुरङ्क शास्त्रीय नाटिका सान्वय सटीक)

XII
assumed the title of Mahārājādhirāja. For the next thirty-
five years Harsha devoted most of his energy and time to
the arts of peace and works of piety. But he did not enjoy
complete peace or respite from war. In 620 A. D. he advanced
against Pulakesin II, the great Chalukya king of the Deccan,
but was defeated on the banks of the Narmadā. This was the
only failure in Harsha's career of unbroken military successes.
After this Harsha was content to accept the Narmadā as his
southern boundary. His last military exploit was the conquest
of the district of Ganjam on the coast of the Bay of Bengal
in 643. Harsha's empire at the time of his death extended
on the west up to the Valabhī kingdom in Saurāshtra (Kā-
thiāwār) and on the east to the borders of Assam. Its
southern boundary was the Narmadā while in the north it in-
cluded the whole of upper India except the Punjab. His suzer-
ainty was acknowledged by the powerful rulers of Kāmarūpa
(Assam), Valabhī (Gujarāt) and Nepal. His court became
well known in distant Buddhist countries and he exchanged
embassies with the Chinese Empire. Harsha was a strong,
vigorous and benevolent ruler. Like Asoka he was
indefatigable in the discharge of his duties and was always
touring through his dominions, supervising the work of his
servants. Education was widely diffused and Buddhistic
monasteries at Nālandā and other places, and āshramas of
learned sages were liberally endowed by the King. He built
numerous monasteries and erected stūpas in his dominions.
He also built rest-houses throughout his dominions, where not
only food and drink were provided to the people, but doctors
attended upon the sick.
Harsha was naturally of a religious bent of mind and
devoted several hours every day to religious exercises. He
was originally a worshipper of Śiva but in the latter part
of his life he was strongly inclined to Buddhism. His
widowed sister Rājyaśrī, who had embraced Buddhistic faith,
exercised great influence on his mind. But he divided his
patronage between Brahmanism and Buddhism and did not
enforce his religious views on his subjects. He was tolerant
of all faiths. He prohibited the slaughter of any living
animal and the use of flesh as food on pain of death.
A Chinese pilgrim named Hiuen Chuang or Hiuen Tsang,
who visited India during the reign of Harsha, in quest of