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45-482: Historically, Madhyadesha was dominated by Kannauj or Kanyakubja which made Kannauj the centre and cultural capital of Madhyadesha and surrounding Aryavarta . From sixth century BCE, the history of this region can be properly recovered. The entire region is considered sacred in Hindu mythology as gods and heroes mentioned in the two epics — Ramayana and Mahabharata — lived here. Its subsequent history became mingled with

90-568: A Shaivite Hindu. Harsha's play Nāgānanda tells the story of the Bodhisattva Jīmūtavāhavana, and the invocatory verse at the beginning is dedicated to the Buddha , described in the act of vanquishing Māra (so much so that the two verses, together with a third, are also preserved separately in Tibetan translation as the *Mārajit-stotra). Shiva's consort Gauri plays an important role in

135-487: A centre of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the imperial court of Harsha and wrote a very favourable account of him (as Shiladitya ), praising his justice and generosity. His biography Harshacharita (" The Life of Harsha ") written by the Sanskrit poet Banabhatta , describes his association with Sthanesvara , besides mentioning

180-565: A defensive wall, a moat and the palace with a two-storied Dhavalagriha (white mansion). Much of the information about Harsha's youth comes from the account of Bāṇabhaṭṭa . Harsha was the second son of Prabhakarvardhana , king of Thanesar . According to some authorities, he belonged to the Bais clan of Rajputs and a ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty . After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in

225-622: A great assembly called Moksha . Xuanzang also describes a 21-day religious festival organized by Harsha in Kanyakubja ; during this festival, Harsha and his subordinate kings performed daily rituals before a life-sized golden statue of the Buddha. Since Harsha's records describe him as a Shaivite Hindu, his conversion to Buddhism would have happened, if at all, in the later part of his life. Even Xuanzang states that Harsha patronised scholars of all religions, not just Buddhist monks. According to historians such as S. R. Goyal and S. V. Sohoni , Harsha

270-468: A large, prosperous city with many Buddhist monasteries. Harsha died with no heir, resulting in a power vacuum until Maharaja Yashovarman seized power as the ruler of Kannauj. Kannauj became a focal point for three powerful dynasties, namely the Gurjara Pratiharas (r. 730-1036 CE), Palas (r. 750-1162 CE) and Rashtrakutas (r. 753-982 CE), between the 8th and 10th centuries. The conflict between

315-590: A reported Buddhist relic for China. 2,000 prisoners were taken from Magadha by the Nepali and Tibetan forces under Wang. Tibetan and Chinese writings document describe Wang Xuance's raid on India with Tibetan soldiers. Nepal had been subdued by the Tibetan King Songtsen . The Indian pretender was among the captives. The war happened in 649. Taizong's grave had a statue of the Indian pretender. The pretender's name

360-632: Is 64%, and female literacy is 52%. In Kannauj, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. Government Medical College, Kannauj is a government medical college located in Tirwa of Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is affiliated to King George's Medical University, Lucknow . Government Engineering College, Kannauj is a government engineering college located at Kannauj. It is a constituent college of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University ) in Lucknow . The college

405-512: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kannauj Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: [kənːɔːd͡ʒ] ) is an ancient 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 an evolved form of the classical name Kanyakubja . During the ancient Vedic period , it

450-545: Is famous for distilling of scents and perfumes. It is known as "India's perfume capital" and is famous for its traditional Kannauj Perfume , a government protected entity. Kannauj itself has more than 200 perfume distilleries and is a market center for perfume, tobacco and rose water. It has given its name to a distinct dialect of the Hindustani known as Kannauji , which has two different codes or registers. Changes in when flower crops bloom due to climate change are affecting

495-545: Is known as "India's perfume capital" and is famous for its traditional Kannauj Perfume , a government protected entity. This industry is threatened by the rise of perfumes made from chemicals, rather than using attar, made from the petals of flowers grown in this area. Archaeological discoveries show that Kannauj was inhabited by the Painted Grey Ware and Northern Black Polished Ware cultures, c.  1200 -600 BCE and c.  700 -200 BCE, respectively. Under

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540-568: Is situated at Aher, Tirwa. The city is served by two major railway station Kannauj railway station and Kannauj City railway station . The nearest airport is Kanpur Airport situated about 2 hours drive from the town. It is situated on GT road (Delhi to Kanpur). It has road transportation Kannauj Depo. under the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transportation Corporation (UPSRTC). Harsha Harshavardhana ( Sanskrit : हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647)

585-637: The Battle of Kannauj on 17 May 1540. During early English rule in India, the city was spelled Cannodge by them. The Nawab Hakim Mehndi Ali Khan has been constantly associated with the development of city of Kannauj by the travellers and writers of the period. A ghat ( Mehndighat ), a Sarai (for the free stay of travellers and merchants) and various metalled roads were built by the Nawab which also bear his name. Different spellings that are used to refer to Kannauj, apart from

630-526: The Gahadvala dynasty with its capital at Kannauj around 1090. His grandson Govindachandra "raised Kannauj to unprecedented glory." Muhammad Ghori advanced against the city, and in the Battle of Chandwar of 1193 killed Jayachandra . Alberuni has referred to "Kannoj" as the key geographical point to explain marching distances to other Indian cities. The "glory of Imperial Kannauj" ended with Iltutmish 's conquest. Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun at

675-792: The Maukhari dynasty , and later, Emperor Harsha of the Vardhana dynasty . The city later came under the Gahadavala dynasty , and under the rule of Govindachandra , the city reached "unprecedented glory". Kannauj was also the main place of war in the Tripartite struggle between the Gurjara-Pratihara , the Palas and the Rashtrakutas . Kannauj was clearly the wealthiest city in early Medieval India at large and

720-577: The Narmada River as its southern boundary. He eventually made Kanyakubja (present-day Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh state) his imperial capital, and reigned till 647 CE. Harsha was defeated by the Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty in the Battle of Narmada , when he tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India. The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court

765-629: The Puranas and other Hindu scriptures. The region saw the rise and fall of several Mahajanapadas such as the Kurus , Panchalas , Kosala and the dynasties of Kushans and Guptas . After the fall of Gupta Dynasty in the 6th century CE, this region was ruled by region powers — the Maukharies of Kannauj and Harsha of Thaneshwar. The Gurjara Pratiharas and Gahadvalas held sway over the region during 9th and 10th centuries. This Indian location article

810-635: The Govinda III, in order to win his sympathy. After this defeat, Pratihara power degenerated for some time. After the death of Dharampala, Nagabhata II regained hold over Kannuaj and made it the capital of the Gurjara Pratihara Empire. During this period, the Rashtrakutas were facing some internal conflicts, and so they, as well as the Pala Empire, did not contest this. Thus Gurjara Pratiharas became

855-435: The country all around Kannauj was called Āryāvarta . It seems likely that Kannauj and Middle country was the place of origin of majority of migrating Brahmins throughout the medieval centuries. In 1010 A.D. Mahmud of Ghazni saw Kannauj as a "City which raised its head to skies which in strength and structure might justly boast to have no equals". Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni captured Kanauj in 1018. Chandradeva founded

900-547: The fall of the prior Gupta Empire , Harsha united the small republics from Punjab to central India, and their representatives crowned him emperor at an assembly in April 606 giving him the title of Maharajadhiraja . Harsha established an empire that brought all of northern India under his rule. The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a centre of cosmopolitanism , attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited

945-532: The forests. On hearing about the murder of his brother, Harsha resolved at once to march against the treacherous King of Gauda , but this campaign remained inconclusive and beyond a point he turned back. Harsha ascended the throne at the age of 16. His first responsibility was to rescue his sister and to avenge the killings of his brother and brother-in-law. He rescued his sister when she was about to immolate herself. As Northern India reverted to small republics and small monarchical states ruled by Gupta rulers after

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990-462: The four directions. Based on this statement, historians such as R.K. Mookerji and C.V. Vaidya have dated Harsha conquests to 606-612 CE. However, it is now known that Harsha engaged in wars and conquests for several more years. Moreover, whether Xuanzang used the term "Five Indias" to describe Harsha's territory in a narrower or wider sense, his statement is hyperbole it cannot be used to make conclusions about Harsha's actual territory. While Harsha

1035-588: The furthest northern expansion by a South Indian ruler. When the Rashtrakuta ruler Dhruva Dharavarsha advanced back to the south, Dharampala was left in control of Kannauj for some time. The struggle between the two northern dynasties of Palas and Gurjara Pratiharas continued: the Pala's vassal Chakrayudha (Dharmapala's nominee for Ujjain) was defeated by the Pratihara Nagabhata II (r. 805–833 CE), and Kannauj

1080-949: The greatest power in Northern India after occupying Kannauj (9th century CE). Famous Pir-e-Kamil, Hazrat Pir Shah Jewna Al-Naqvi Al-Bokhari was also born in Kannauj in 1493 in the reign of King Sikandar Lodi . He was a descendant of Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari and his father Syed Sadar-ud-din Shah Kabeer Naqvi Al Bukhari was a great saint and was also among the advisors of King Sikandar Lodhi. Shah Jewna migrated to Shah Jeewna (a town named after him) now in Pakistan. Shah Jewna’s colonized towns in Kannauj ;:- Siray-e-Miran, Bibiyan Jalalpur, Makhdumpur, Lal Pur (associated with

1125-478: The hands of Gurjara-Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja (r. 780-800 CE). The Pala ruler Dharampala (~770-821 CE) was also keen to establish his authority at Kannauj, giving rise to a struggle between Vatsaraja and Dharmapala, in which Dharmapala was defeated. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Rastrakuta ruler Dhruva Dharavarsha (r. 780–793 CE) surged northwards, defeated Vatsaraja, and took Kannauj for himself, completing

1170-717: The imperial court of Harsha, and wrote a favourable account of him, praising his justice and generosity. Pulakeshin II repelled an invasion led by Harsha on the banks of Narmada in the winter of 618–619. Pulakeshin then entered into a treaty with Harsha, with the Narmada River designated as the border between the Chalukya Empire and that of Harshavardhana. Xuanzang describes the event thus: In 648, Tang Chinese emperor Tang Taizong sent Wang Xuance to India in response to emperor Harsha having sent an ambassador to China. However once in India, he discovered that Harsha had died and

1215-420: The industry of perfumes made from natural sources, like attar from roses. The unpredictable bloom times make it difficult to deliver the blooms and raises a concern that perfumes from these natural sources will be replaced by chemicals. As of 2001 India census , Kannauj had a population of 71,530. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kannauj has an average literacy rate of 58%: male literacy

1260-560: The king at Sthanesvara , could not accept this affront to his sister and his family. So he marched against Devagupta and defeated him. However, Shashanka , the King of Gauda in Eastern Bengal , then entered Magadha as a friend of Rajyavardhana, but was in a secret alliance with the Malwa king. Accordingly, Shashanka treacherously murdered Rajyavardhana. In the meantime, Rajyashri escaped into

1305-639: The middle of the 6th century, Northern India was split into several independent kingdoms. The northern and western regions of the Indian Subcontinent passed into the hands of a dozen or more feudatory states. Prabhakaravardhana, the monarch of Sthanvesvara , who belonged to the Vardhana family, extended his control over neighbouring states. Prabhakaravardhana was the first monarch of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Sthanvesvara . After Prabhakaravardhana's died in 605, his eldest son, Rajyavardhana, ascended

1350-613: The name of Kanagoja or Kanogiza, which appears in Geography by Ptolemy ( c.  140 CE ). It was also visited by the Chinese Buddhist travellers Faxian and Xuanzang in the fifth and seventh centuries CE, respectively. During the decline of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century, the Maukhari dynasty of Kannauj - who had served as vassal rulers under the Guptas - took advantage of

1395-468: The name of Saint Sayyed Jalaluddin Haider Surkh Posh Bukhari or Lal Bukhari). His descendants still present in various parts of India and Pakistan. In Hindu epics, Kannauj or Kanyakubja was the capital of Amavasu the son of Pururavas and an ancestor of Rigvedic sage Vishwamitra . In Classical India , it served as the center of imperial Indian dynasties. The earliest of these was

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1440-628: The names of Kuśasthala and Kanyakubja, it is mentioned as a well-known town in the Hindu Epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana , and by the grammarian Patanjali ( c.  150 BCE ). The early Buddhist literature mentions Kannauj as Kannakujja, and refers to its location on the trade route from Mathura to Varanasi and Rajgir . Kannauj may have been known to the Greco-Roman civilization under

1485-466: The new king Aluonashun (supposedly Arunāsva ) attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates. This led to Wang Xuance escaping to Tibet and then mounting a joint expedition of over 7,000 Nepalese mounted infantry and 1,200 Tibetan infantry and attacking Indian state on June 16. The success of this attack won Xuance the prestigious title of the "Grand Master for the Closing Court." He also secured

1530-502: The official Kannauj, are: Cannodge , Kannauj , Kannoj , Kinnouge , Qannauj and Qannawj . The British who visited Kannauj in the later part of 19th century mostly referred to it as Kanauj (notice the single "n"). George Forster spells it Kinnouge. Alexander Cunnigham wrote its spelling as Kanoj. Kannauj is located at 27°04′N 79°55′E  /  27.07°N 79.92°E  / 27.07; 79.92 . It has an average elevation of 139 metres (456 feet). Kannauj

1575-624: The play, and raises the hero to life using her divine power. According to the Chinese Buddhist traveler Xuanzang , Harsha was a devout Buddhist . Xuanzang states that Harsha banned animal slaughter for food, and built monasteries at the places visited by Gautama Buddha . He erected several thousand 100-feet high stupas on the banks of the Ganges river , and built well-maintained hospices for travellers and poor people on highways across India. He organized an annual assembly of global scholars, and bestowed charitable alms on them. Every five years, he held

1620-623: The three dynasties has been referred to as the Tripartite struggle by many historians. There were initial struggles but ultimately the Gurjara Pratiharas succeeded in retaining the city. The Gurjara-Pratiharas ruled Avanti (based at Ujjain ), which was bounded to the South by the Rashtrakuta Empire, and the Pala Empire to the East. The Tripartite struggle began with the defeat of Indrayudh at

1665-510: The throne. Harshavardhana was Rajyavardhana's younger brother. This period of kings from the same line has been referred to as the Vardhana dynasty in many publications. At the time of Hiuen Tsang 's visit, Kanyakubja was the imperial capital of Harshavardhana, the most powerful sovereign in Northern India. K.P. Jaiswal in Imperial History of India, says that according to a 7-8th century Buddhist text, Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa , Harsha

1710-474: The weakening of central authority, broke away and established control over large areas of northern India. Under the Maukharis, Kannauj continued to grow in importance and prosperity. It became the greatest city of Northern India under Emperor Harsha (r. 606 to 647 CE) of the Vardhana dynasty , who made it his capital. Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited India during the reign of Harsha, and described Kannauj as

1755-589: Was emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana , the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns , and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana , son of Prabhakaravardhana and last king of Thanesar . He was one of the greatest kings of the Kingdom of Kannauj , which under him expanded into a vast realm in northern India . At the height of Harsha's power, his realm covered much of northern and northwestern India, with

1800-523: Was again occupied by the Gurjara Pratiharas. Dharmapala tried to take control of Kannauj but was defeated badly at Moongher by the Gurjara Pratiharas. However, Nagabhata II was in turn soon defeated by the Rashtrakuta Govinda III (r. 793–814 CE), who had initiated a second northern surge. An inscription states that Chakrayudha and Dharmapala invited Govinda III to war against the Gurjara Pratiharas, but Dharmapala and Chakrayudh both submitted to

1845-413: Was born of King Vishnu (Vardhana) and his family was of Vaishya varna . This is supported by some more writers. Harsha's sister Rajyashri had been married to the Maukhari monarch, Grahavarman . This king, some years later, had been defeated and killed by King Devagupta of Malwa and after his death Rajyashri had been captured and imprisoned by the victor. Harsha's brother, Rajyavardhana, then

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1890-496: Was personally a Shaivite Hindu and his patronage of Buddhists misled Xuanzang to portray him as a Buddhist. Harsha is widely believed to be the author of three Sanskrit plays Ratnavali , Nagananda and Priyadarsika . While some believe (e.g., Mammata in Kavyaprakasha ) that it was Dhāvaka, one of Harsha's court poets, who wrote the plays as a paid commission, Wendy Doniger is "persuaded, however, that king Harsha really wrote

1935-549: Was recorded in Chinese records as "Na-fu-ti O-lo-na-shuen" (Dinafudi is probably a reference to Tirabhukti). Xuanzang mentions that Harsha waged wars to bring "the Five Indias under allegiance" in six years. Xuanzang uses the term "Five Indias" (or "Five Indies" in some translations) inconsistently, variously applying it to refer to Harsha's territories in northern India or to the entire subcontinent, grouped around Central India in

1980-464: Was the capital city of the Panchala Kingdom during the reign of king Vajrayudha. In the medieval era, it formed the core of the Kingdom of Kannauj and was ruled by multiple successive royal families. It was also known as Mahodaya during the time of Mihira Bhoja . It is situated 104 kilometres west of the state capital, Lucknow . Kannauj is famous for distilling of scents and perfumes. It

2025-526: Was the most powerful emperor of northern India, he did not rule the entire northern India. Like many other ancient Indian rulers, Harsha was eclectic in his religious views and practices. His seals describe his ancestors as worshippers of the Hindu sun god, Surya , his elder brother as a Buddhist , and himself as a Shaivite Hindu . His land grant inscriptions describe him as Parama-maheshvara (supreme devotee of Shiva). His court poet Bana also describes him as

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