Who was the court poet of Harshavardhana and the author of the 'Harshacharita'?

Banabhatta, or Bana, was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and the court poet (Asthana Kavi) of King Harshavardhana. He is regarded as one of the greatest masters of Sanskrit prose.

The "Harshacharita" ("The Deeds of Harsha") is a biography of Harshavardhana, written in Sanskrit prose. It is one of the first historical biographies in Sanskrit literature. It describes Harsha's ancestors, the death of his father Prabhakaravardhana, the murder of his elder brother Rajyavardhana and his brother-in-law Grahavarman, the rescue of his sister Rajyashri from the Vindhya forests, and Harsha's rise to power. It is written in a highly ornate style, with long compound words and detailed descriptions.

Bana's other famous work is "Kadambari", a romantic prose story about the love of Chandrapida and Kadambari. It was left unfinished at his death and completed by his son, Bhushanabhatta. "Kadambari" is so famous that the word is used in some Indian languages to mean "novel". He is also credited with the "Chandishataka", a poem in praise of the goddess Chandi.

Harshavardhana (ruled 606-647 CE) belonged to the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty. He began ruling from Thanesar and later made Kannauj his capital. He was himself a writer and is credited with three Sanskrit plays: "Ratnavali", "Priyadarshika" and "Nagananda". The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visited India during his reign and described the great assembly held by Harsha at Kannauj and the quinquennial assembly at Prayag. Harsha was defeated by the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II on the banks of the Narmada.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kalidasa, of the Gupta age, wrote "Abhijnanashakuntalam" and "Meghaduta".
• ✗Bhavabhuti wrote "Uttararamacharita" and was at the court of Yashovarman of Kannauj.
• ✗Dandin wrote "Dashakumaracharita" and "Kavyadarsha".