Harshacharita (socio-cultural Study)
by Mrs. Nandita Sarmah | 2014 | 67,792 words
This page relates ‘Similarities (5): Economic Condition’ of the English study on the Harshacharita: A Sanskrit (poetical work) which can be studied as a Historical book of Indian society during the 7th century. It was originally written by Banabhatta who based his Harsacarita on the life of the Gupta emperor Harshavardhana. This study researches the religion, philosophy, flora and fauna and society of ancient India as reflected in the Harsha-Charita.
1. Similarities (5): Economic Condition
[Full title: Similarities between the Two Societies of the Kādambarī and the Harṣacarita (5): Economic Condition]
It is found in the Kādambarī that the people enjoyed a luxurious city life in Ujjayinī[1] and they possessed wealth amounting to crores,[2] and all the houses were plenty of gold items.[3] The author describes in both the kāvyas that the cities were decked with long, big market with streets full of shops.[4] The roads of the city were plastered and whitened.[5] For communication, goods-carrier and conveyance, the people used the carts[6] and animals such as-oxen, elephants, horses, camels etc.[7] Bāṇa also gives vivid pictures of the life of the hermit[8] through the life of Mahāśvetā and Agasta[9] in the Kādambarī and Divākaramitra in the Harṣacarita.
Uses of ivory, iron, leather and glass are mentioned in both the kāvyas. The descriptions of use of gold-coins with royal stamp,[10] essential accessories of royal families such as-golden staff,[11] the jewelries,[12] king’s footstool, utensils made of gold and silver,[13] ivory-boxes[14] shields,[15] leather making elephants[16] and dolls[17] etc, various iron articles used for domestic works, agricultural implements, military weapons and equipments made of iron, such as-iron belt,[18] axe,[19] hoe,[20] shields,[21] armour,[22] sword,[23] iron-door-panels,[24] description of the mirrors,[25] use of many big or small earthen jars,[26] gold pots,[27] ceramic objects,[28] dolls[29] etc. imply that well developed ivory industry, tanning industry, leather industry, iron industry, glass industry, and pottery industry were there in then society.
In both the kāvyas, references are made to cīnāṃśuka,[30] i.e., Chinese-silkengarments imported from China. This confirms the fact that in that time also India imported cloths like these from China.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
sakalabhuvanakhyāta…..koṭisārena mainākeneva……., Ibid.,p.86
[3]:
jātarupakṣayā…, Ibid.,p.88
[4]:
[a] ….vipanivartamani…., Ibid.,V.p.75 [b] aprasāritapaṇapaṇyam, Ibid. [c] prakaṭaśaṅkhaśūktimuktāpravālamarakaṭa……………. ….mahāvipanipathairupaśobhitā, Kādambarī,p.84
[6]:
gantrī, Ibid., p.110
[7]:
[a] pṛṣṭhapratiṣṭhāpyamāna….karabhe, Ibid.,VII.p.109
[b] gamanasaṃbhramabhraṣṭā…turaṅgamata…, Ibid.p.110
[c] vājināmārūhya……gantum, Kādambarī,p.330
[d] …indrāyudhamārūhya….mṛgayānirgato…… Ibid.,p.193
[e] ….gamanasukhāyamānakhakkhaṭastūyamānatuṅgatuṅgaṇagūṇe, Harṣacarita,p.110
[f] …gantrīgaṇagṛhyamānaprahatavatmani, Ibid.
[g] …..kareṇukayā siddhayātrayohyamānaḥ, Ibid.,p.111
[h] niṣādininiścalānekānīkapāropyamāṇakośakalaśa…, Ibid.,VII,p.109
[i] yuktaśūraśakuraśākkarāṇāṃ purāṇapāṃsūtkirakarīṣakūṭavāhinīnām……
dhūlidhūsarosairikhasaroṣasvarasāryamāṇānām.., Ibid.,VII,p.124
[j] …turagakhurarajodhūsaratābhītā….., Kādambarī,p.186
[8]:
Ibid.,p.208-215
[9]:
Ibid.,p.41
[11]:
kanakadaṇḍaḥ, Kādambarī,p.12
[12]:
kaṇakālaṅkāraḥ, Ibid.,p.184
[13]:
[a] kāñcanamayasarvopakaraṇaivibhabai…, Harṣacarita,IV.p.57
[b] sauvarṇapādapīṭhī…, Ibid.,VII.p.114
[c] …kāladhautanalaka…, Ibid.,VII.p.110
[d] rājataihiraṇmayaiśca maṇḍanakabhāṇḍamaṇḍalaiḥ…, Ibid.,VII.p.112
[e] …gṛhītasauvarṇapādapīṭhīparyaṅkakaraṅkakalaśapatadgrahāvagrāhaiḥ……
….pārthivopakaraṇa…kārayadbhirbhūpatibhṛtakabhārikai……, Ibid.,VII.p.113
[f] ….kutūhalakṛnti kanakaśṛṅkhalāniyamitagrīvāṇāṃ…., Ibid.,VII.p.117
[g] kāñcanamayaṃ……..siṃhāsanam, Kādambarī,p.191
[14]:
[a].…muktāphaladāmadanturāṇi ca dantakāṇḍakuṇḍalāni, Harṣacarita,p.117
[b].… dantapāṇḍurapāde…, Ibid.,II.p.33
[c]. …dāntasapharukadhāriṇyā kanakaputrikayā…, Ibid.,IV.p.71
[d] dantapatra…., Kādambarī,p.22
[15]:
kāradaṅgacarmamaṇḍala…..caṭulaḍāmara …, Harṣacarita,VII.p.110
[16]:
[a] karikarmacarmapuṭasyeva…, Ibid.,VII.p.120
[b] …..kāradaṅgacarmaṇāṃ sambhārān, Ibid.,VII.p. 116
[21]:
[Ibid. ?]
[24]:
[a] kālāyasakabāṭa, Ibid.,p.82 [b] lohatoraṇaḥ, Ibid.,p.334 [c] kālāyasadarpaṇaḥ, Ibid.
[25]:
[a] manibhitridarpaṇeṣu mukhapratibimbāni.., Harṣacarita,IV.p.73 [b] …maṇidarpaṇeṣu mukhamutkhāte…, Ibid.,IV.p.61 [c] ….maṇidarpaṇaḥ, Kādambarī,p.324
[28]:
lepyakārakadambakakriyamāṇa- mṛṇamayamīnakūrmamakaranārikelakadalīpūgavṛkṣakam, Harṣacarita,IV.p.69
[30]:
[a]...upacitachīnacolakaiśca…, Ibid.,VII,p.110
[b]…...kenacicchīnāṃśuka…, Ibid.,VIII,p.131
[c] vimalachīnāṃśuka…., Kādambarī,p.208