Pala empire was founded
by Gopala in 750 CE, and they
controlled Bengal and Bihar for
nearly 400 years, from the
eighth to the twelfth centuries.
Rulers of this dynasty had
‘Pala’ in their name, which
means ‘protector’ i.e. it was
called the Pala dynasty. In the
Indian subcontinent, this
empire was one of the most
powerful Buddhist imperial
powers. The Palas were best
known for their patronage of
art, sculpture, painting and
university construction, as well
as their ongoing conflict with
contemporary powers such as
the Pratiharas of western India
and the Rashtrakuta Dynasty
of southern India.
Origin of Pala
Empire
Gopala established the Pala
Empire in the eighth century.
After Harshvardhana's death,
many kingdoms rose to
dominance in Northern and
Eastern India in the 7th
century.
The ruler of Gauda Kingdom
i.e. Shashanka was the
contemporary of King
Harshavardhana and between
590 and 625 CE, he controlled
the Bengal area.
Soon after the death of Gauda
King Shashanka, lawlessness
erupted in the country's
northern and eastern parts,
allowing the Palas to seize
control and establish the Pala
Empire.
The Pala Empire began its
authority in the states of Bihar
and Bengal, but the borders of
the Pala dynasty's ruled
provinces changed frequently
due to the kingdom's various
collapses and revivals.
The Bengal region was in a
state of revolt after the fall of
the Shashanka's empire, and
there was no central authority
to rule the state,
so Gopala ascended the
throne as the first emperor.
For nearly four centuries, the
Palas dynasty ruled over Bihar,
Bengal, and parts of Orissa
and Assam, with numerous
ups and downs.
Sulaiman, an Arab trader,
attests to their influence.
Sulaiman described the Pala
empire as Ruhma (or Dharma),
short for Dharmapala.
The Pala monarchs were
at war with their neighbours,
the Pratiharas and the
Rashtrakutas, although his
armies outnumbered his
opponents.
'It was customary for the Pala
king to be accompanied by
a force of 50,000 elephants,'
Sulaiman added.
In Bengal's history, the Pala
Empire is regarded as
the 'Golden Age.'
Major Rulers of Pala
Empire
Gopala (750–770 AD)
He was the founder of the
Pala dynasty and the first
emperor of the dynasty. He
was the son of a warrior
named Vapaata.
In a revolution to end
the Matsyanyaya, the people
elected Gopala as their
monarch.
The Pala dynasty had nearly
conquered most of Bihar and
Bengal at the time of Gopala's
death.
Matsyanyaya
After Sasanka's death(ruler of
Bengal), there was
tremendous
turmoil and chaos in Bengal.
The term' matsyanyaya' was
used to describe this near-
anarchy that reigned in Bengal.
Matsya Nyaya (fish justice) is a
Sanskrit word that refers to the
nature of fishes in which the
larger fishes prey on the lesser
ones.
Gopala emerged as the king of
Bengal and ended the
Matsyanyaya.
Dharmapala (770–810
AD)
In around 770
AD, Dharmapala succeeded
Gopala as monarch. He
embarks on a plan to expand
his
empire.
During his reign, a tripartite
struggle occurred between the
Pala, Prathihara, and
Rashtrakuta dynasties for
control of Kanauj.
He defeated Kanauj's
king Indrayudha and set his
nominee Chakrayudha on the
throne.
At Kannauj, Dharmapala
staged a large darbar, which
was attended by a number of
rulers. He was unable to
maintain his post.
Dhruva, a Rashtrakuta king,
defeated Dharmapala in a fight
in Monghyr (Bihar)
and Dharmapala reign came to
an end in 810 CE.
Devapala (810–850
AD)
Devapala, Dharmapala's son,
succeeded him as monarch.
He was the most powerful
Pala king.
Assam and Utkala
(Orissa) were two of the states
he conquered.
He had defeated the ruler of
the Rashtrakuta empire,
Amoghavarsha.
He ruled till 850 CE.
The Pala dynasty began to fall
steadily once Devapala's reign
ended.
Though his
successors, Mahendrapala
and Shurapala, kept the Pala
kingdom together, the following
weak kings of the Pala empire,
such as Narayanapala and
Vigrahapala II, laid the way for
the Pala empire's downfall.
Mahipala I
In 988 CE, Mahipala I, the Pala
dynasty's emperor, ascended
to the throne.
He rebuilt the Pala empire's
strength. He reclaimed
Bengal's northern and
western regions, north and
south Bihar.
However, following his rule, the
Pala kingdom began to fall
once more.
And finally, the Hindu Sena
dynasty ruler
‘Vijayasena’ toppled the Pala
Empire in the 12th century.
Rampala
He was the last powerful Pala
king.
During the reign of his son
Kumarapala, the kingdom fell
apart.
He was the Pala dynasty's
fifteenth ruler.
Sandhyakar Nandi, his court
poet, wrote the novel
Ramacharitam in Sanskrit with
two meanings.
Administration
Administration of
Pala Empire
The Pala dynasty created its
administration model based
on the Gupta
empire's administrative
practices.
The Pala Dynasty had
a monarchical administrative
structure. All power was
concentrated in the hands of
the king or monarch.
Parameshwar,
Paramvattaraka, or
Maharajadhiraja were offered
to the Pala rulers.
In the Pala dynasty, the throne
was passed down through
generations.
The King was aided by
a group of ministers who
were hereditary and nominated
by the King from prominent
families.
Some provinces in the Pala
empire were under the direct
rule of the King, while others
were under the control of
Vassal chiefs.
The regions governed by
the Vassal chiefs were
granted autonomy. They
provided the King with fixed
contributions and troops.
The Pala empire's lands that
were managed directly were
divided into many provinces
known as Bhukti and
governed by officials known
as Uparika. They collected the
levy and preserved the
province's law and order.
Apart from that, Pala monarchs
are also thought to have
been astute diplomats,
forming alliances with many
cultures in order to encourage
new trade routes.
They maintained strong
cultural and trading ties with
the Middle East and Southeast
Asia.
Religion
Religion of Palas
Buddhism and
Hinduism were the dominant
religions throughout the Pala
Dynasty.
They were largely Buddhists
and practiced Mahayana
Buddhism.
After King Harsha Vardhana's
reign, Buddhism was on the
verge of extinction. However,
the arrival of the Palas
reignited interest in Buddhism
across the Indian subcontinent.
Shaivism and
Vaishnavism were also
patronized by them. The King
made land concessions to
brahmanas and priests.
Palas built great monasteries
throughout their reign.
One of the major viharas built
by the Pala emperors
is Somapura Mahavihara
(now in Bangladesh).
The spread of Mahayana
Buddhism occurred during the
Palas in nations such as Tibet,
Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and
Indonesia.
During the Pala dynasty in
Bengal, Bihar, and Assam,
a number of temples were
built. For example, in
Assam, they built
the Hayagriva avatar temple.
Many coins discovered during
their period represented Shiva
worship, Vishnu worship, and
Saraswati worship.
Therefore, the long Pala period
and the chosen religion during
the Pala Dynasty resulted in a
combination of Hindu and
Buddhist culture.
Palas as Patrons of Educatio
Palas as Patrons of
Education
Palas were not merely
conquerors;
they were also religious
patrons who had made
significant investments in
education.
Dharmapala, the emperor,
renovated the Nalanda
university, built
the Vikramasila
university and Somapura
Mahavihara, all of them were
Buddhist academic centres.
Nalanda university became
well-known around the world
during Pala's reign.
Nalanda had about 10,000
students and teachers during
this time period, who came
from all throughout India, as
well as Central Asia, China,
Southeast Asia, and Sri
Lanka.
It was one of the largest
educational institutions in
the world at the time and it
provided education in a variety
of subjects.
Dharmapala gave the royal
income from two hundred
nearby villages to cover
Nalanda University's
expenses.
Vikramasila
university competed directly
with Nalanda University.
It had over 100 faculty and
over 1000 students listed.
Vikramasila university was
well-known for providing
specialist Tantra
training (Tantrism).
Atia Dipankara, a creator of
Tibetan Buddhism's Sharma
traditions, was one of the
university's most well-known
graduates.
This university thrived for 400
years until it was destroyed by
Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar
Khilji's soldiers in the year
1200.
Somapura Mahavihara (now
in Bangladesh) university was
founded by Dharmapala in
Bengal in the late eighth
century, and it flourished for
400 years until the 12th
century.
It was a prominent learning
centre for Bauddha Dharma
(Buddhism), Jina Dharma
(Jainism),
and Sanatana Dharma
(Hinduism).
This university had an impact
on Buddhist architecture as far
as Cambodia.
It is included in the UNESCO
World Heritage List.
Palas Architecture
Palas Architecture
Several mahaviharas, stupas,
chaityas, temples, and forts
were built by Palas.
The majority of the architecture
was religious, with Buddhist
art
dominating the first two
hundred years and Hindu art
dominating the following two
hundred.
Nalanda, Vikramashila,
Somapura, Traikutaka,
Devikota, Pandita, and
Jagaddala vihara are famous
among the mahaviharas.
At these centres, which also
featured workshops for the
casting of bronze figures, a
large number of manuscripts
on palm-leaf relating to
Buddhist subjects were
produced.
Dharmapala's construction of
the Somapura Mahavihara in
Paharpur (Bangladesh), is one
of the largest Buddhist viharas
in India, and its architectural
layout has impacted
the architecture of countries
such as Myanmar and
Indonesia.
Palas constructed
temples also which are noted
for displaying the Vanga style.
At Kashi, Mahipala
constructed hundreds of
temples and buildings.
At Gaya, there is a Vishnupada
temple with a hemispherical
mandap that looks like an
umbrella.
Palas Paintings
Palas Paintings
The Pala School of
Painting is one of India's
earliest examples of miniature
painting.
They are considered as
the founder of the
Miniature form of painting in
India.
Nalanda, Odantapuri,
Vikramsila, and Somarupa
Buddhist monasteries
(mahaviharas) were significant
centres of Palas school of
painting.
The artworks are in the shape
of a vast number of palm-leaf
manuscripts depicting
Buddhist themes.
Pala style is naturalistic,
evoking the ideal shapes of
contemporary
bronze and stone sculpture
while also evoking a sense of
Ajanta's classical art.
The manuscript of
the Astasahasrika-
Prajnaparamita(The
Perfection of Wisdom in
Eight Thousand) is the best
example.
Palas Sculpture
Under the patronage of Pala
monarchs, the Gupta
sculptural tradition reached
unprecedented heights.
The Pala school of sculptural
art is recognised as an unique
period of
Indian art and the Bengal
sculptors achieved new
heights and are known for their
aesthetic genius.
During the Pala period, a new
type of stone and bronze
sculpture evolved and they
were known for their bronze
casting.
Under the Palas, the art
absorbed many local traits
and lasted until the end of the
12th century.
Stone and copper statues were
erected in huge numbers,
mostly in monastery places
such as Nalanda, Bodh Gaya,
and others.
The majority of
the sculptures were
inspired by Buddhism. Aside
from Buddha, Hindu gods and
goddesses such as Surya,
Vishnu, Ganesh, and others
were sculpted.
In most cases, only the frontal
aspects of the body are
depicted in the sculptures.
Slim and graceful forms, as
well as exquisite jewellery,
were hallmarks of the Palas
style.
Conclusion
The Palas ruled over East
India for nearly 400 years, from
the eighth to the twelfth
centuries, and they were
ardent supporters of
Mahayana Buddhism. The
Pala monarchs were at war
with their neighbors, the
Pratiharas and the
Rashtrakutas. In Bengal's
history, the Pala Empire is
regarded as the 'Golden Age.'
This empire is known for
political stability, economic
growth and art & architecture
development.
