Prakashmishra1991 at 23:47, 25 March 2026

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{{short description|King in Hindu literature}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Harishchandra by RRV.jpg
| caption = Harishchandra and his family are separated and sold into bondage
| father = [[Trishanku]]
| spouse =
* [[Shaivya (wife of Harishchandra)|Shaivya]] (chief queen)<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdkswFlJtjQC&dq=harishchandra+taramati&pg=PA76 | isbn=9780892818709 | title=Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent | date=24 April 2003 | publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co }}</ref>
* 99 junior wives<ref>{{cite web | title=Story of Viśvāmitra | date=28 January 2019 | url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/compilation/puranic-encyclopaedia/d/doc242072.html }}</ref>
| children = [[Rohitashva]]
| texts = [[Markandeya Purana]]
| dynasty = [[Suryavamsha]]
}}{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}

'''Harishchandra''' ({{Langx|sa|हरिश्चन्द्र|translit=Hariścandra}}) is a legendary king of the [[Solar dynasty]], who appears in several legends in texts such as the ''[[Aitareya Brahmana]]'', ''[[Mahabharata]]'', the ''[[Markandeya Purana]]'', and the ''[[Devi-Bhagavata Purana|Devi Bhagavata Purana]]''. The most famous of these stories is the one mentioned in the ''[[Markandeya Purana]]''. According to this legend, Harishchandra gave away his kingdom, sold his family, and agreed to be a slave – all to fulfill a promise he had made to the sage [[Vishwamitra|Vishvamitra]].

== Legend ==

=== Aitareya Brahmana ===
According to a legend mentioned in ''[[Aitareya Brahamana]]'', Harishchandra had one hundred wives, but no son. On advice of the sage [[Narada]], he prayed to the deity [[Varuna]] for a son. Varuna granted the boon, in exchange for an assurance that Harishchandra would make a sacrifice to Varuna in the future. As a result of this boon, a son named Rohita (or [[Rohitashva]]) was born to the king. After his birth, Varuna came to Harishchandra and demanded that the child be sacrificed to him. The king postponed the sacrifice multiple times citing various reasons, but finally agreed to it when Rohita became an adult. Rohita refused to be sacrificed and escaped to the forest. An angry Varuna afflicted Harishchandra with a stomach illness. Rohita intermittently visited his father, but on the advice of [[Indra]], never agreed to the sacrifice. Later, Rohita managed to substitute himself with [[Sunahshepa]] in the human sacrifice. Sunahshepa prayed to the Rigvedic deities, and was saved from the sacrifice. Harishchandra's illness was also cured because of Sunahshepa's prayers; Sunahshepa was adopted by the sage [[Vishvamitra]].<ref name="David_1991">{{Cite book
| title = Myths of the Dog-Man
| author = David Gordon White
| year = 1991
| publisher = University of Chicago Press
| pages = 81–82
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=glmjo9UrP2YC&pg=PA81
| isbn = 9780226895093
}}</ref>

A similar story is narrated in the ''[[Ramayana]]'', but the king's name is [[Ambarisha]] instead of Harishchandra.<ref name="David_1993">{{Cite book
| title = The Hungry God: Hindu Tales of Filicide and Devotion
| author1 = David Shulman | author1-link = David Dean Shulman
| year = 1993
| chapter = Sunahsepa: The Riddle of Fathers and Sons
| publisher = University of Chicago Press
| pages = 87–105
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eOgnapMK3PwC&pg=PA87
| isbn = 9780226755717
}}</ref><ref name="Wendy_1993">{{Cite book
| title = Asian Mythologies
| author1 = Yves Bonnefoy | author1-link = Yves Bonnefoy
| author2 = Wendy Doniger | author2-link = Wendy Doniger
| year = 1993
| publisher = University of Chicago Press
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=r4I-FsZCzJEC&pg=PA54
| isbn = 9780226064567
}}</ref>

=== Puranic legend ===
[[File:What'er though, Great sage.jpg|thumb|Harishchandra and Vishvamitra]]In the [[Puranas]], Harishchandra is the son of [[Trishanku]]. The ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' mentions him, but does not describe his life in detail. The ''[[Markandeya Purana]]'' contains a detailed legend about his life, narrated by wise birds to the sage [[Jaimini]].<ref name="BKC_2004">{{Cite book
| title = Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, Their Religion and Institutions
| edition = 2
| author = John Muuir
| year = 1868
| publisher = Trübner
| pages = 379–387
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VGPZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA379
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book
| title = Markandeya Purana
| author = B.K. Chaturvedi
| year = 2004
| publisher = Diamond
| pages = 19–28
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KxuerJwnuKsC&pg=PA19
| isbn = 9788128805776
}}</ref> The ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' mentions him as the father of Sagara and grandfather of Badaka, and contains a legend about his descendants.<ref>{{Cite book
| title = Shrimad Bhagwat Purana
| author = B.K. Chaturvedi
| year = 2002
| publisher = Diamond
| pages = 71–72
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ygNq9KaawdQC&pg=PA71
| isbn = 9788171828319
}}</ref>

{{Hindu mythology}}

==== ''Markandeya Purana'' ====
The ''[[Markandeya Purana]]'' legend is as follows:<ref name="BKC_2004" />

King Harishchandra lived in the [[Treta Yuga]]. He was an honest, noble king. His subjects enjoyed prosperity and peace. He had a queen named Shaivya (also called Taramati) and a son named [[Rohitashva]]. Once, while on a hunting expedition, he heard the cries of a woman asking for help. Armed with a bow and arrow, he went in the direction of the sound. The sound was an illusion created by Vighnaraja, the lord of the obstacles. Vighnaraja was trying to disturb the ''[[Tapas (Sanskrit)|tapasya]]'' (meditation) of the sage [[Vishwamitra|Vishvamitra]]. This disturbed Vishwamitra's ''tapasya'', and destroyed all the knowledge that the sage had acquired during this ''tapasya''.

When Harishchandra came to his senses, he realized that the sage was extremely angry with him, and apologized. He promised to fulfill any of the sage's desires to get rid of his guilt. Vishvamitra demanded ''[[dakshina]]'' (donation) for his [[rajasuya]] [[yajna]]. The king asked him what he wanted in payment. In response, Vishvamitra said "Give me all that you have except yourself, your wife and your child." Harishchandra agreed to the demand. He let go of all his possessions – even his clothes. As he readied to leave his palace with his family, Vishvamitra demanded another donation. Harishchandra said that he did not have any possession left, but promised to make another donation within a month.

Harishchandra started living in penury with his wife and his family. His loyal subjects followed him. When Vishvamitra saw the king with his subjects, he started cursing Harishchandra for taking along his subjects (who were a part of the kingdom donated to the sage). The king then decided to leave the kingdom with his family. To make them go away sooner, Vishvamitra started beating the queen with a stick. When the five [[guardians of the directions]] saw this, they condemned Vishvamitra. The sage cursed them to be born as human beings. These guardian deities were born as the sons of the [[Pandava]]s and [[Draupadi]].

Nearly a month after leaving his kingdom, Harishchandra arrived in the holy city of [[Varanasi|Kashi]], only to see Vishvamitra already present there. The sage demanded the donation that the king had promised him. Harishchandra pointed out that there was still some time left in completion of one month. The sage agreed to come back at the next sunset and departed. As his hungry son cried for food, Harishchandra worried how would he be able to make a donation to the sage. His wife Shaivya suggested that he sell her to get some money. After some hesitation, Harishchandra accepted the proposal and sold her to an elderly man. Their child would not let go of his mother, so it was decided that he would accompany his mother (and an extra payment was made for him).

Soon after, Vishvamitra appeared again and demanded the donation. Harishchandra gave him all the money he had received from the sale of his wife and son. However, Vishvamitra was unhappy with the donation, and demanded more. Harishchandra then decided to sell himself. An [[Untouchability|outcaste]] ''[[chandala]]'' (actually [[Yama]] in disguise) offered to buy him, but Harishchandra's self-respect as a high-caste [[Kshatriya]] would not allow this. He instead offered to be Vishwamitra's slave. Vishvamitra agreed, but then declared "Since you are my slave, you must obey me. I sell you to this ''chandala'' in exchange of gold coins." The ''chandala'' paid the sage, and took along Harishchandra as a slave.

The ''chandala'' employed Harishchandra as a worker at his [[Cremation|cremation ground]]. He directed Harishchandra to collect fees for every body cremated there: a part of the fee would go to the ''chandala'', a part would be given to the local king, and the rest would be Harishchandra's remuneration. Harishchandra started living and working at the cremation ground. One day, he dreamed about his past lives, and realized that his current condition was a result of his past sins. During this nightmare, he also saw his queen crying before him. When he woke up, he saw his queen actually crying before him. She held the dead body of their son, who had died of a snake bite. Thinking of his misfortune, Harishchandra contemplated suicide, but realized that he would continue to pay for his sins in his next life.

Meanwhile, the queen readied to cremate their son's cadaver. But, Harishchandra told her that he would not let her do so without paying the fee. Meanwhile, all the deities appeared led by Yama and accompanied by Vishvamitra. They praised Harishchandra for his good qualities, and invited him to heaven.

But Harishchandra refused to go to heaven without his public who have lamented over his departure from his kingdom. He believes that they are the equal sharer in his merits and that he will only go heaven when his people also accompany him. He requested the king of devas, Indra to allow his people to go to heaven at least for a single day. Indra accepts his request, and he along with his people ascend to the heaven.

After his ascension to heaven, [[Vashistha]] – the sage of Harishchandra's royal dynasty – ended his ''[[Tapas (Indian religions)|tapasya]]'' of twelve years. He learned of what had happened to Harishchandra during these years. He quarreled with Vishvamitra, but was ultimately pacified by [[Brahma]]. Brahma explained to him that Vishvamitra was only testing the king, and had actually helped him ascend to [[Svarga|heaven]].

==== Devi Bhagavata Purana ====
The ''[[Devi-Bhagavata Purana|Devi Bhagavata Purana]]'' contains a story similar to the one mentioned in the ''Markandeya Purana'', but also contains a reference to the ''Aitareya Brahamana'' legend. This legend is narrated by [[Vyasa]] to [[Janamejaya II|Janamejaya]]. It starts with Vashistha – the sage of Harishchandra's royal dynasty – praising the king's honesty and noble character. Vishvamitra objects to this, pointing out that Harishchandra was ready to sacrifice [[Sunahshepa]], a human. He promises to prove that Harishchandra is not of noble character, and tricks the king into breaking his ''tapasya''. The rest of the story is similar to the ''Markandeya Purana'' version, with minor variations.<ref>{{Cite book
| title = Devi Bhagwat Purana
| author = B.K. Chaturvedi
| year = 2001
| publisher = Diamond
| pages = 84–86
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kBPy-fsnY3AC&pg=PA84
| isbn = 9788171828326
}}</ref>

=== Mahabharata ===
In ''[[Mahabharata]]'', [[Narada]] tells [[Yudhishthira]] that Harishchandra is a ''rajarshi'' (king-sage), and the only earthly king who finds a place in the assembly of gods. According to Narada, Harishchandra was a powerful emperor, and all the kings on earth accepted his suzerainty. He performed the [[rajasuya]] yajna. After completing the rituals, he gratified the [[Brahmin]]s with delicacies, gave them what they wanted and gifted them jewels. For this reason, he finds a place alongside [[Indra]] (the king of the gods).<ref>{{Cite book
| title = The Mahabharata, Volume 2
| author = Bibek Debroy
| year = 2015
| publisher = Penguin
| page = 95
| isbn = 9788184754032
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Tz2FHQcx_M8C&pg=PT95
}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{citations needed|section|date=September 2025}}
Poet [[Raghavanka]]'s ''Harishchandra Literature'' from 12th century in [[Kannada language]] is a very popular and acclaimed epic on the life of Harishchandra.

Harishchandra has been the subject of many films in India. The earliest is ''[[Raja Harishchandra]]'' from 1913, written and directed by [[Dhundiraj Govind Phalke]]. It was the first full-length Indian feature film.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090520175801/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/249829/Raja-Harishchandra/overview Overview] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> The first "talkie" of [[Marathi cinema]], ''[[Ayodhyecha Raja]]'' (1932) directed by [[V. Shantaram]], was also based on his life, starring [[Govindrao Tembe]] and [[Durga Khote]] in the lead roles. The film was later remade under the name ''Ayodhya Ka Raja'' (1932) in [[Hindi]], making it the first double-language talkie of [[Indian cinema]].<ref>[http://www.filmtvguild.in/milestones.htm The Firsts of Indian Cinema: Milestones from 1896 to 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719114936/http://www.filmtvguild.in/milestones.htm |date=19 July 2011 }} Film and Television Producers Guild of India</ref>

Telugu cinema has also produced films on this Hindu mythological subject: in 1935 one titled ''Harishchandra'' was directed by [[P. Pullaiah]] starring Addanki Srirama Murthy and [[P. Kannamba]]; in 1960 another with the same title was directed by Jampana Chandrashekara Rao and starred [[S. V. Ranga Rao]] and [[C. Lakshmi Rajyam]]. The acclaimed [[Satya Harishchandra (1965 Telugu film)]] was produced and directed by [[K. V. Reddy]] under Vijaya Productions. It stars [[N. T. Rama Rao]] and [[S. Varalakshmi]]. K. V. Reddy produced the film simultaneously in [[Kannada]] with the same title, starring [[Dr. Rajkumar]].

[[K. B. Nagabhushanam]] directed [[Harischandra (1944 film)]] in Tamil starring [[P. U. Chinnappa]] and [[P. Kannamba]]. In later years it was remade again in Tamil with the title of [[Harichandra (1968 film)]], directed by [[K. S. Prakash Rao]] starring [[Sivaji Ganesan]] and [[G. Varalakshmi]] which was popularly acclaimed for acting and dialogue. Also, in Tamil popular colloquial usage, Raja Harishchandra is synonymous with absolute adherence to the truth. A person is often chided as being "a Raja Harishchandra", if he tries to cling to truth even to the detriment of those related to him.

The Kannada epic [[Satya Harishchandra (1965 Kannada film)]] was based on 12th century Hoysala poet [[Raghavanka]]'s work, ''Harishchandra Kavya'' starring [[Dr. Rajkumar|Rajkumar]]. At the [[13th National Film Awards]], the film was awarded the President's silver medal for the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada|Best Feature Film in Kannada]]. The film was hugely successful at its release and is considered a milestone in [[Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada cinema]]. ''Satya Harishchandra'' was the third Indian and first South Indian film to be digitally coloured. The coloured version, released in April 2008, was a commercial success.

In 1985, a [[Bengali language]] film ''[[Harishchandra Shaibya]]'' was released based on the life of King Harishchandra. This film was directed by Ardhendu Chatterjee. It also said that Harishchandra was a truthful man, who never lied and is therefore also called ''Satyavadi'' (one who always speaks the truth). [[The king and the god|The king and the god tale]] was based on him.

== Shrines ==
* A temple of Harishchandra is situated in Harishchandra Pimpri, [[Wadwani]] taluka, [[Beed district]], [[Maharashtra]]
* The cremation ground of [[Varanasi|Kashi]] - (modern name [[Varanasi]]) is named [[v:The Varanasi Heritage Dossier/Harishcandra Ghat| Harishcandra Ghat]]

== See also ==
* [[Chandrahasa]]
* [[Bharata (Mahabharata)|Bharata]]
*[[Solar dynasty|Suryavamsha]]
*''[[The king and the god]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Solar dynasty]]
[[Category:Legendary Indian people]]
[[Category:Legendary monarchs]]
[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Mythological kings of Kosala]]

Harishchandra - Revision history

Prakashmishra1991 at 23:47, 25 March 2026