Which one of the following books was authored by Harshavardhana?

Direct territories: Central Provinces, Bengal, Kalinga, Rajputana, Gujarat
Feudatories: Jalandhar, Kashmir, Kamarupa, Sind, Nepal.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF Paper - I: Official Paper (Held on: 7 Aug 2022)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Ratnavali

Key PointsKing Harshavardhana

King Harshavardhana was the son of Prabhakar Vardhana, the founder of the Pushyabhuti Dynasty or the Vardhana Dynasty.
He is considered one of the most prominent rulers of the 7th century.
He had ascended the throne of Thaneshwar and Kannauj on the death of his brother, Rajyavardhana, and consolidated his kingdom in northern India.
He was a Hindu who later embraced Mahayana Buddhism.
On acquiring Kannauj, Harsha united the two kingdoms of Thanesar and Kannauj.
He moved his capital to Kannauj.
There were two types of territories under Harsha. One was directly under him and the other type was those that were feudatories.

Hiuen Tsang visited India during Harsha’s reign. He has given a very favorable account of king Harsha and his empire. He praises his generosity and justice.
Harsha was a great patron of the arts. He himself was an accomplished writer. He is credited with the Sanskrit works Ratnavali, Priyadarshika, and Nagananda.
Banabhatta was his court poet and he composed the Harshacharita which gives an account of Harsha’s life and deeds.