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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

‘Harshvardhan was himself great, but he has been made greater by Ban and Yuan Chiang.’ Critically examine the statement

  • UPSC 1999
  • Guptas, Vakatakas and Vardhanas

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Unlike a claim that denies Harsha any real merit, this formulation concedes a genuine core of greatness and asks only how much extra shine his two chroniclers, Banabhatta and Yuan Chwang (Xuanzang), added on top of it — a more precise and, on the evidence, more defensible question.

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the History Optional PYQ Master Pack.

What the full answer covers

  • The genuine substance: what Harsha actually did
  • Bana's contribution: the courtier's brush
  • Yuan Chwang's contribution: the grateful pilgrim's lens
  • The corrective from outside
  • Judgement
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