Harsha Vardhana (589-647), King of India (606-647), founder of the Kingdom of India, and culmination of classical Indian culture.
He is mainly known to the Chinese people due to Xuanzang's western tour, and he is also one of the most influential emperors in Indian history.

He was a famous king, playwright, and poet in Indian history, and the last native king to unify North India. His reign (606-647) was a glorious era in Indian history.
The sixth king of the Pushivati royal family in Thanesar, India. Translated as Harsha or Harsha Vardhana, meaning King Xizhang. Harsha S ī l ā ditya is his moral name, meaning 'the sun god who holds the precepts'.
In 606 AD, King Jieri succeeded to the throne due to the killing of his brother, Rohatyn (Wangzeng), by a neighboring country. He works hard to govern. Six years later, he swore to seek revenge and launched a campaign centered around the capital city of Qu Nu, conquering all directions. At that time, the territory included most of the Ganges River Basin, Punjab, and Rajput, up to the area around the Katiwawa Peninsula in West India.
He was a famous king who unified India after the Gupta Dynasty and sent envoys to establish good relations with the Tang Dynasty in China multiple times; Emperor Taizong of Tang also sent Wang Xuance and others to send seals and apply for positions multiple times. During his more than 40 years of rule, North India remained relatively stable and prosperous. After death, the empire began to split and a situation of numerous dynasties emerged.
The King of Rites was the founder of the Indian Rites dynasty and the culmination of Indian classical culture. He is mainly familiar to the Chinese people due to Xuanzang's westward journey, and in terms of Indian history alone, he is also one of the most influential emperors.
The King of Rites adheres to the Shiva sect of Hinduism, but also adopts a supportive policy towards other religions. He built many Buddhist pagodas and monasteries to offer sacrifices to Buddhist monks. Hold an open conference every five years to encourage religious and academic exchanges among various denominations.
During Xuanzang's visit to India, which coincided with the reign of Emperor Jieri, he was highly respected. The King of Jieri rewarded literary and artistic achievements and provided for a group of famous literati in the palace. He is also a literary biographer himself. He has written three surviving scripts: "Nagananda" (translated by Wu Xiaoling), "Ratnavali", and "Priyadarsika" (some say these scripts were written by others).
In addition, his works "Prajnaparamita Prajnaparamita" and "Yechao Prajnaparamita" exhibit a strong Buddhist sentiment. Due to King Jie Ri's support for Buddhism, Buddhists see him as a protector king on par with Ashoka and Kaniska.

Ascend to the throne in times of crisis
After the collapse of the Gupta dynasty under the attack of the White Xiongnu, India regained its fragmented state. In North India, there are four major powers: the Kingdom of Tanesha (Kingdom of Rites) centered around Delhi, the Mukri Dynasty centered around Qurnaum, the Kingdom of Kedah in the Ganges Delta (Kingdom of Karra and Suvarnabhumi), and the Kingdom of Moropo in the Changbar River basin. After a long period of consolidation, two major camps gradually formed: Tanisha and Murik on one side, and Gundam and Moropo on the other side.
King Jieri was the second son of Prabhakara Vardhana, the king of Tanesha. The origin of the kingdom is unknown, and it is said that the founder of the dynasty was named Bushbobodi, who started his career by believing in the god Shiva. During the reign of King Guangzeng, the father of King Jieri, he gradually annexed neighboring small countries and became stronger, entering the ranks of various warlords vying for supremacy.
Due to claiming to be collateral descendants of the Gupta dynasty, some people also consider the Jokhang dynasty as a continuation of the Gupta dynasty. There are one elder brother and one elder sister above the King of Jieri. The elder brother, Rohatyn, was originally the heir of the kingdom and was brave and skilled in battle. The elder sister, Lazi Shuli, married the king of the Mukri dynasty, Grabavalman, to strengthen the alliance between the two countries.
In 604 AD, at the age of only 15 and still a prince, King Jie Ri led his brother Luo Jia to conquer the remaining forces of the White Xiongnu in the western part of the kingdom. At this time, a major upheaval occurred in the country, and his father, Prince Poro Varna, suddenly passed away. His mother was buried with her own life. At the same time, the archenemies Gundam and Merapo joined forces and launched a massive attack on the ally of Tanisha, Murik. King Grabavalman of Murik was defeated and killed, while Queen Lazishuli (the sister of the King of Jieri) was captured. The armies of the two countries are also preparing to attack Tannisha.
In this critical situation, King Jieri quickly returned to the country with his brother Rojavardanna. Rojavardanna immediately inherited the throne and appointed King Jieri to stay in the country. He led more than ten thousand cavalry to assist Qunu City, but was assassinated by the people of King Shangjia of Gaoda. The leaderless army of Tanisha turned from victory to defeat.

Merge the two countries
At this time, it was already 606 AD, and King Jieri inherited the throne with the support of his powerful courtiers, led by Boni. He then launched an attack on the city of Qunu with all his might. In order to defeat the more powerful King Sheshka, King Jieri formed an alliance with the Assam Kingdom, which was intimidated by the expanding power of King Sheshka, resulting in a situation of two sides attacking Sheshka; On the other hand, in response to the persecution of Buddhism by King Shakyamuni, a policy of venerating Buddhism was adopted, inviting the childhood friends of King Shakyamuni and the Buddhist masters who had many followers at that time to participate in politics, which helped him gain the favor of the subjects and people of the Kingdom of Mokli, and thus helped him expel King Shakyamuni from the territory of the Kingdom of Mokli.
At the time of achieving a series of victories, the King of Rites learned that his sister Rajyashri had escaped from King Sheshka of Gundam, so he led some troops to leave the battlefield in search of Rajyashri, and finally found her sister in the Vindhya Mountains. Returning to the battlefield, the King of Rites was even more brave, and with the assistance of Boni, he achieved a complete victory, driving away the armies of two enemy countries and restoring the state of Murik. Lazhisuli was appointed as the nominal queen, but in reality, she was ruled by the King of Rites.
After six years of war, he not only regained the territories of the Mokli Kingdom and the Later Gupta Kingdom, but also conquered some other small kingdoms in the Ganges River basin. His unified territory has extended from the country of Penavatna (now Rangpur or Pabna in Bengal) to the Biyas River. Thus, the dominant position of King Jieri in North India was basically established.
In 612 AD, the two countries of Tanisha and Murik officially merged, with King Gojiro serving as the king and relocating the capital to Qunu City. This year is considered the beginning of the Gojiro dynasty in history.
Unified Northern India
In order to maintain the unity of this empire conquered by force, King Jieri built a huge army divided into three branches: elephants, horses, and infantry. Compared to previous dynasties, King Jieri placed greater emphasis on the construction of elephant soldiers. When he first ascended the throne, he had only 5000 elephant soldiers. By 612 AD, he had expanded the number of elephant soldiers twelve times, jumping from 5000 to 60000. This is because the origin and use of elephant soldiers were more suitable for the ancient forested geographical environment of India. Relying on this massive army, a fierce war to unify India began.

Conquering the region of Sindh around 620 AD, annexing Bengal around 622 AD, and subjugating the prosperous coastal kingdom of Varhapi around 630 AD. The Kingdom of Kamorobha in Northeast India and the Kingdom of Vahrabi in West India successively recognized the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Javelin, while their archenemy, the Kingdom of Gundam, resisted tenaciously. Finally, after the death of Shakyamuni in 637, the Kingdom of Javelin took control of the region.
In 633 AD, King Jieri gathered all his forces with the intention of conquering the southern ruler of the Cherokee dynasty (whose capital was Vatapi, located in present-day Badami, Karnataka). The brave and skilled Maratha people rose up to counterattack, preventing him from winning. This is the first defeat in the conquest history of King Jieri. This battle limited the southern boundary of its sphere of influence to the Nabada River/Narmada River. King Jieri did not give up the war because of this, and turned the focus of the expedition towards the Odisha region.
In 637-638 AD, he conquered the state of Uta (located in the lower reaches of the Mahanadi River, with his capital in the city of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state), and around 642 AD, he incorporated the prosperous seaport kingdom of Ganjam into his empire's territory. This is the last war fought by King Jieri. Thus, King Jieri reached the peak of his reign. He already owns the entire Ganges River basin, with his sphere of influence extending east to the Brahmaputra River, west to the Indus River, north to the Snowy Mountains, and south to the Nabada River. Reaching the entire North India region except for Gujarat and West Punjab, the ruling population reportedly reached 21.5 million, becoming another regime that basically unified North India after the Peacock Dynasty and the Gupta Dynasty. However, the King of Rites did not establish a centralized state. His vast empire is just a loose alliance formed by force. Satani Shivara, Kanauti (Qunu City), Magadha, and Kajavgal ā (Sanskrit name Kaj ū ghira, Pali name Kajavgal ā) are under its direct control. The remaining thirty kingdoms each have their own monarchs, armies, bureaucratic systems, and legal systems. They only submit to the power of the King of Rites, acknowledge his dominant position, and pay tribute to him.

Jieri King is a diligent king. Xuanzang recorded that he divided his day into three hours, with one hour dedicated to governing and managing affairs, and the other to cultivating blessings and goodness. He worked tirelessly until the end of the day was enough. He made Kanaoji his capital, but often wandered within its borders, collecting tribute from the courtiers, issuing religious orders, and setting up monuments and archways to praise his achievements.
Three major scripts
King Jieri was both skilled in literature and martial arts, not only able to lead troops in battle, but also skilled in composing poetry and dramas. There are three scripts of King Jieri that have been passed down: "Love Story", "Yingluo Story", and "Dragon Joy Story".
The book 'Love Story' is based on a collection of Indian folklore stories. The script is divided into four acts, and the main plot is as follows: the beautiful maidservants beside the king and queen fall in love at first sight, causing jealousy from the queen, and the maidservants are abused by the queen. Later, the truth was revealed that the maid was not only an auspicious princess, but also the queen's niece who could become the ruler of the earth by marrying her. In the end, the king married the princess, and the queen and everyone were overjoyed.
In the "Yingluo Ji", King Jieri expressed his wish for "the unity of the gods, coexistence with the world, and the benefit of humanity", expressing his desire for the unity of the kingdoms and reflecting King Jieri's pursuit of unity.
Longxi Ji "is a five act play that draws inspiration from the Yuncheng stories in the Indian story collection" Story Guangji "and the now lost Buddhist scripture" Living with the Light ". The protagonist in the play is also a king, and the King of Rites praises the noble virtue of self sacrifice in this play. The first three acts depict the love and marriage between the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Kingdom of Siddhartha, who are accompanied by the clouds of the Ming dynasty. The latter two acts depict Prince Yuncheng developing a compassionate heart and sacrificing his newly acquired love to save others' lives. He feeds the roc bird with his own body and is later saved by the goddess Goryeo. It is a play that blends Buddhist and Hindu teachings. In the opening prayer poem of the script, the King of Rites regards Buddha as the primary god, which is extremely rare in ancient Sanskrit plays in India. He included Buddha in the ranks of Hindu gods, not only expressing a desire for religious unity, but also reflecting the fusion tendency of Hinduism and Buddhism in his time. This drama has Tibetan and Chinese translations in China.

Feudal state system
The era of the Indian Empire was the final period in which the feudal system was established. The king is the highest owner of the land in the country, not only directly occupying most of the land, but also granting titles to temples, officials, and nobles for fiefdoms. Feudal land grants can be divided into two categories: one is the sacred land or "Futian" that is exempt from state taxes, which is permanently granted by feudal emperors to high-ranking Brahmins, Buddhist monks, Hindu temples, and Buddhist monasteries as fiefdoms. Another type is to grant titles or land parcels to secular high-ranking officials and nobles as salaries or service rewards. The granted villages and communities have become private territories of emerging feudal lords, and the free farmers who were originally directly under the jurisdiction and control of the state have become feudal dependent farmers who pay rent and taxes to feudal lords and are under their jurisdiction. The feudal fiefdom system was established.
The extensive partition and re partition of state-owned land weakened the royal power and prompted feudal lords to break away from the control of central power. The Jieri Dynasty established a hierarchical bureaucratic system with strict punishment and administration. The central government is assisted by the Council of Ministers to rule by the King of Rites. Although Jieri is known for its "civil governance and benevolent governance", its criminal law is stricter than that of the Gupta dynasty. He valued the use of religion for feudal rule, leaned towards Mahayana Buddhism, and supported the activities of Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang in India. During his more than 40 years in power, he held six annual Buddhist "no show assemblies" in Boluoyejia. Adopting a religious policy that embraces both Buddhism and Hinduism. The establishment of the feudal system promoted the development of agriculture, and a scene of "flourishing agriculture" emerged in various regions. Coastal ports and cities closely related to foreign trade continue to maintain prosperity in industry and commerce, but many ancient cities in the Ganges River basin have even more depressed in terms of industry, commerce, and monetary economy.
Polytheistic faith
King Jie Ri himself believed in the Brahmanic god Shiva, but allowed various religious sects within his territory to develop freely, and particularly respected Buddhism, which still had a large number of followers at that time. This may have been influenced by his sister Rajeshuli, a devout Buddhist, but in reality, there are many similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism, and before Islam entered India, India maintained a generally tolerant religious atmosphere, with few cases of monarchs oppressing another religion due to their belief in one religion. In his later years, he followed the example of King Ashoka and embraced the faith of Buddhism, adopting even more supportive policies towards Buddhism. He rewarded monks with land and villages, donated temples, and built Galan as a holy site. He also built thousands of pagodas on both sides of the Ganges River. The famous Nalanda Temple has greatly developed under his support.

In 631 AD, a high monk with a dusty face came to India. He traveled to various states and preached the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, gaining fame and attracting the attention of the King of Rites. He was Xuanzang from the Eastern Tang Dynasty. In 642 AD, King Jieri held an open assembly for Xuanzang in the capital city of Qunu. More than 20 nobles and over 5000 senior scholars of Mahayana Buddhism and Brahmanism attended the assembly, where Xuanzang preached the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. No one in attendance could refute him, thus earning him the title of "Mahayana Heaven". After the meeting, King Jieri invited Xuanzang to ride an elephant and tour the world, preaching and preaching. This sparked a "Chinese fever" in India for a while, and in fact, it was also used to unify Buddhist doctrine and eliminate disputes. Xuanzang was also invited to attend the 6th Buddhist Conference in 643 AD. And brought back a large number of Buddhist scriptures from India, and after returning to China, wrote the "Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty" to introduce Indian culture.
Xuanzang was not the first person from China to go to India to seek Buddhist scriptures, nor was he the last. However, it is rare for him to receive such warm treatment from the King of Rites. Together, they wrote a significant chapter in the cultural exchange between China and India. Xuanzang's visit to India promoted understanding between the peoples of China and India. Starting from 641 AD, the Jieri Dynasty sent diplomatic envoys to visit the Tang Dynasty multiple times, and Emperor Taizong of Tang also sent diplomatic missions led by Wang Xuance to India four times.

Jieri Wang is a hero created by a specific historical environment. His empire only lasted for more than thirty years, but during this short period, he unified North India, vigorously promoted cultural undertakings, produced a generation of literary giants represented by Pona, promoted cultural exchanges between countries, and made Nalanda Temple famous all over the world. It should be said that the King of Rites was a successful monarch, and his reign was a glorious era in Indian history.