The emergence of the family of Pushyabhutis ruling first from Thaneswar in Haryana and later from Kanauj in Uttar Pradesh was referred to in Banabhatta’s Harshacharita and in the accounts of Hsuan-Tsang.

Banabhatta said that the founder was known as Pushyabhutis and the dynasty as Pushyabhutis Vamsa. According to Hsuan-Tsang, Harshavardhana belonged to this family and the Pushyabhutis were Vaishyas.

The Banskhera and Madhuban plates and royal seals also refer to this dynasty and state that, the among the five rulers, the first three held the title of maharaja. Harsha’s royal seals (without any reference to Pushyabhutis) support this.

Excepting that the second and third kings were sun-worshippers, nothing is known about the first three rulers of the dynasty. Also, the contrast between their and the later kings’ titles indicate that they were not so powerful.

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Moreover, having regard to the date of demise of Prabhakaravardhana (circa ad 605), it can be inferred that the first three kings ruled between ad 525-575 and like their immediate neighbours, the Maukharis, they carved out an independent empire after the fall of the Imperial Guptas.