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