kingdom · South Asia
Pushyabhuti dynasty
Origins
The Pushyabhutis ruled Thanesar, north of Delhi, from around 500. Prabhakaravardhana made them a regional power in the late 6th century. After his death his elder son Rajyavardhana was murdered by Shashanka of the Gauda Kingdom, and in 606 his younger brother Harsha took the throne, also inheriting the kingdom of the Maukharis at Kannauj.
Rule and society
Harsha campaigned across northern India, though Pulakeshin II of the Chalukyas of Badami stopped him at the Narmada. He governed through vassal kings, toured his realm and held great religious assemblies at Kannauj and Prayag. A patron of Buddhism and of Shaiva and Sun cults, he wrote three Sanskrit plays, and his court poet Banabhatta composed the Harshacharita. Harsha exchanged embassies with Tang China.
Decline and legacy
Harsha died in 647 without an heir, and his empire collapsed at once. A minister seized Kannauj, and northern India broke into rival states until the Gurjara-Pratihara rose in the 8th century.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Later Guptas was a vassal of Pushyabhuti dynasty606 CE – 647 CE
- Maitraka dynasty was a vassal of Pushyabhuti dynasty630 CE – 647 CE
- Shailodbhava dynasty was a vassal of Pushyabhuti dynasty640 CE – 647 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pushyabhuti dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pushyabhuti-dynasty
- MLA
- “Pushyabhuti dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pushyabhuti-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Pushyabhuti dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pushyabhuti-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pushyabhuti dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pushyabhuti-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻