Harshavardhana was an Indian emperor who ruled North India from 606 to 647 CE. He was a member of the Vardhana dynasty; and was the son of Prabhakaravardhana and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana Rajyavardhana, a king of Thanesar, present-day Haryana.
The king travelled with an enormous amount of
equipment. Apart from weapons, there were things
of daily use such as pots, pans, furniture, golden
footstools, food, including animals such as goat,
deer, rabbits, vegetables, spices, carried on carts or
loaded on to pack animals such as camels and
elephants. This huge army was accompanied by
musicians beating drums, and others playing horns and trumpets.
The army left a trail of destruction behind.
Elephants often trampled down the huts of villagers,
and the oxen yoked to the caravans of merchants ran away, scared by the tumult.
As Banabhatta says: “The whole world was
swallowed up in dust.