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Who among the following usurped power in Kanyakubja after the death Harshavardhana?
Explanation
Following the death of Harshavardhana in 647 CE, the Pushyabhuti dynasty effectively ended as he left no male heir. In the ensuing political vacuum at Kanyakubja (Kannauj), a minister named Arunashva (also referred to as Arjuna) usurped the throne. This transition led to a diplomatic and military conflict with the Chinese mission led by Wang Xuance, who had arrived to find Harsha deceased and the new ruler hostile. While other figures like Shashanka were contemporaries who fought Harsha earlier [1], and Adityasena was a Later Gupta ruler who asserted independence in Magadha after Harsha's decline, it was Arunashva who seized power specifically in the capital of Kanyakubja. This period of instability eventually paved the way for the rise of other regional powers like the Yashovarman of Kannauj and later the Gurjara-Pratiharas [2].
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Pushyabhutis 8.1 > p. 105
- [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_kingdoms_of_India