If Harsha is remembered till this day as a great ruler, it is not only because he was a brave military leader, but also because he was a man of noble impulses, a great patron of learning and letters and he had great scholars like Banabhatta, Mayura and Divakara in his court.

Harsha came to occupy the throne of Thaneshwar at a very critical moment in its history. His father had died and his elder brother had been murdered by a powerful enemy. The neighbouring kingdom, Kannauj, ruled by Harsha's brother-in-law, had been overrun. Harsha not only surmounted these difficulties, but raised the small kingdom of Thaneshwar into the most powerful kingdom in Northern India.

Banabhatta's "Harshacharita" gives a detailed account of Harsha's life till he rescues Rajyashri. We know more about the political and economic conditions of his times from the account of Hiuen Tsang, who visited India during his reign.