Society under Harsha
This period witnessed the ascendancy of varnasrama-dharma and it became
an indispensable cornerstone of the Brahmanical social structure. Hiuen
Tsang writes about the existence of four varnas or orders in India. Bana
characterised Harsha as one who carried out all the rules for the varnas and
asramas. The first varna—Brahmins—continued to enjoy a very high and
respectable position in the society and the glorification of gifts to them by the
other three varnas became a distinct feature of Brahmanism. Despite the
existence of some Sudra kings, the Kshatriya kings were in overwhelming