This
study examines the religious assemblies convened by Harshavardhana (606–647 CE)
as deliberate instruments of religious diplomacy and imperial statecraft in
early seventh-century North India. Moving beyond conventional narratives that
portray these gatherings merely as expressions of personal piety or Buddhist
patronage, Harshavardhana strategically deployed large-scale religious
congregations most notably the Kannauj Assembly and the quinquennial assemblies
at Prayaga, as mechanisms for consolidating political authority, negotiating
sectarian plurality, and projecting supralocal sovereignty. Drawing upon
literary sources such as Hiuen Tsang’s travel account, the Harshacharita
of Banabhatta, epigraphic records, and later historiographical interpretations,
the study situates these assemblies within broader patterns of early medieval
kingship, ritual sovereignty, and interstate diplomacy.
Harsha’s assemblies functioned simultaneously
on multiple levels: as forums of inter-religious engagement among Buddhists,
Brahmanical groups, and other ascetic traditions, as spectacles of royal
generosity reinforcing dharmic kingship; and as diplomatic platforms that
facilitated alliances, tributary relations, and cultural exchange across
regional polities. By publicly honouring diverse religious traditions while
privileging Mahayana Buddhism in certain contexts, Harsha crafted an image of
universal kingship rooted in ethical sovereignty rather than coercive
domination. These assemblies also reinforced transregional connections,
particularly with Buddhist networks extending to Central Asia and Tang China,
thereby situating Harsha’s empire within a wider cosmopolitan sphere. Through a
comparative and interdisciplinary approach, engaging political theology, ritual
theory, and early medieval state formation, the religious assemblies under Harshavardhana
were neither episodic nor merely ceremonial. Instead, they constituted
structured diplomatic events designed to stabilize authority in a politically
fragmented post-Gupta landscape. By reframing Harsha’s public congregations as
instruments of sacred diplomacy, this research contributes to broader debates
on the relationship between religion and power in premodern South Asia and
challenges simplistic binaries between spiritual patronage and political
ambition.