PALA EMPIRE

THE PALAS:

·        The Pala dynasty was founded by Gopala in A.D 750 at a time when Bengal was without a king under anarchy. Gopala was elected by different chiefs and nobles as their king. Gopala was an ardent Buddhist and is supposed to have built the monastery of Odontapuri.

·        Dharmapala (780- 810 A.D), the son and successor of Gopala was the most powerful king of the dynasty. He is credited with the establishment of the Vikramshila University. He was a devout Buddhist and assumed the title of Paramasangata. During the reign of Dharmapala the Pala kingdom extended from Pataliputra to Rajshahi.

·        Dharmapala was defeated by the Rashtrakuta ruler, Dhruva, who had earlier defeated the Pratihara ruler. Dharmapala installed Chakrayudha on the throne of Kannauj, but he could not consoli­date his control over Kannauj.

·        He was defeated by the Pratihara king Nagabhatta II near Monghyr. As a Buddhist, he founded the famous Buddhist establishment at Vikramashila (in Bhagalpur district). He is aiso credited with the construction of a vihara at Somapura.

·        Dharmapala was succeeded by his son Devapala who is regarded as the most powerful Pala ruler. Epigraphic records credit him with extensive conquests. The Badal Pillar inscription claims that Devapala eradicated the Utkalas race humbled the pride of the Hunas and Gurjaras (Mihir Bhoja).

·        Devapala was a great patron of Buddhism. Balaputradeva, a king of the Buddhist Sailendras, sought permission to build a monastery at Nalanda and also requested Devapala to endow five villages for its upkeep.

·        The requect was granted by Devapala. During the reign of Mahipala, Rajendra Chola invaded Bengal and defeated him. The Chola invasion, however did not lead to the establishment of Chola suzerainty over Bengal. After his death, the Pala power declined under his successors on account of internal dissensions and external invasions.

·        The Palas had close trade contacts and cultural links with South-East Asia which added greatly to the prosperity of the Pala Empire. Information about the Palas is also provided by the Tibetan chronicles.

·        The Palas also had close cultural relations with Tibet. The noted Buddhist scholars, Santa-rakshita and Dipankara (called Atisa), were invited to Tibet, and they introduced a new form of Buddhism there.

·        The power of the Palas is attested by the Arab merchant Sulaiman, who visited India in the middle of the ninth century. He called the Pala kingdom Ruhma (or Dharma, short for Dharmapala), and says that the Pala ruler was at war with his neighbours, the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas.

                                                                                   

·        The Pala Empire was a Buddhist imperial power in Classical India.

·        The kingdom was centered around present-day Bangladesh and eastern India. The Palas had ushered in a period of stability and prosperity in the Bengal-Bihar region.

·        They were the followers of the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism. They created many outstanding temples and works of art, including the Somapura Mahavihara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The renowned universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila flourished under their patronage.

·        Gopala, the first ruler from the dynasty, came to power during the 750s in a landmark election by regional chieftains. The empire reached its peak under his successors Dharmapala and Devapala, who fought with the Rashtrakutas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas for the control of Kannauj.

·        The death of Devapala ended the period of ascendancy of the Pala Empire, and several independent dynasties and kingdoms emerged during this time. The Pala rule was temporarily rejuvenated, first by Mahipala I and then by Ramapala. Subsequently, the Pala power declined, and they were dethroned by the Senas in the second half of the 12th century. The Palas were the last major Buddhist dynasty to rule in South Asia.

PALA ADMINISTRATION

·        Pala Dynasty administration was Monarchial and King or Monarch was the centre of all power.

·         Pala rulers adopted Imperial titles like Parameshwar, Paramvattaraka, and Maharajadhiraja. They appointed Prime Ministers and the Line of Garga served as the Prime Ministers of the Palas for 100 years.

·        Pala Empire was divided into separate Vuktis (Provinces), Vuktis into Vishaya (Divisions) and Mandalas (Districts). Darvapani, Someshwar, Kedarmisra, Vatt Guravmisra smaller units were Khandala, Bhaga, Avritti, Chaturaka, and Pattaka. Their Administration covered widespread area from the grass root level to the imperial court

·        Palas Army was fourfold and the army consisted of: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. Vatsaraja Dharmapala had been mentioned as the owner of unlimited number of horses, elephants and chariots in the copperplates. It is amazing to know that Kings of Bengal still depended on Four-Horsed Heavy Chariots as when the use of chariots had been backdated in India and other parts of the world. Palas had to depend upon their vassal kings for war horses.

·        As being a riverine land and swarthy climate Bengal region was not good enough for breeding quality war-horses. The inscriptions on Pala Copper plates reveal that mercenary forces were recruited from the Kamboja, Khasa, Huna, Malwa, Gujarat, and Karnataka.

·        The Kamboja cavalry was the cream of the Pala Empires armed forces. The Kamboja forces of Pala Dynasty maintained smaller confederates (Sanghas) among themselves and obedient followers of their commander. Palas divided the army into following posts: Senapati or Mahasenapati (General) controlling foot soldiers, cavalry, soldiers riding elephants and camels, navy, and the various army posts like Kottapala (Fort guards) and Prantapala (Border guards). Palas had a huge army and the legend of "Nava Lakkha Shainya" (Nine lac soldiers) were popular during the reigns of Dharmapala and Devapala.

CULTURE:

RELIGION

·        The Palas were patrons of Mahayana Buddhism.

·        Taranatha states that Gopala was a staunch Buddhist, who had built the famous monastery at Odantapuri.^[23] Dharmapala made the Buddhist philosopher Haribhadra his spiritual preceptor. He established the Vikramashila monastery and the Somapura Mahavihara

·        Devapala restored and enlarged the structures at Somapura Mahavihara, which also features several themes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Mahipala I also ordered construction and repairs of several sacred structures at Saranath, Nalanda and Bodh Gaya.

·        The Palas developed the Buddhist centers of learnings, such as the Vikramashila and the Nalanda universities. Nalanda, considered one of the first great universities in recorded history, reached its height under the patronage of the Palas.

·        The Buddhist scholars from the Pala empire travelled from Bengal to other regions to propagate Buddhism. Atisha, for example, preached in Tibet and Sumatra, and is seen as one of the major figures in the spread of 11th-century Mahayana Buddhism.

·        The Palas also supported the Saiva ascetics, typically the ones associated with the Golagi-Math

·        Narayana Pala himself established a temple of Shiva, and was present at the place of sacrifice by his Brahmin minister

·        Queen of King Madanapaladeva, namely Chitramatika, made a gift of land to a Brahmin named Bateswara Swami as his remuneration for chanting the Mahabharata at her request, according to the principle of the Bhumichhidranyaya

·        Besides the images of the Buddhist deities, the images of Vishnu, Siva and Sarasvati were also constructed during the Pala dynasty rule

·        The Palas patronized several Sanskrit scholars, some of whom were their officials. The Gauda riti style of composition was developed during the Pala rule. Many Buddhist Tantric works were authored and translated during the Pala rule.

·        The notable Pala texts on philosophy include Agama Shastra by Gaudapada, Nyaya Kundali by Sridhar Bhatta and Karmanushthan Paddhati by Bhatta Bhavadeva.

·        Sandhyakar Nandi's semi-fictional epic Ramacharitam (12th century) is an important source of Pala history.

·        A form of the proto-Bengali language can be seen in the Charyapadas composed during the Pala rule.

·        Texts on medicine like Ayurveda Dipika, Chikitsa, Sushrata..etc  are of great importance.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

·        The Pala school of sculptural art is recognised as a distinct phase of the Indian art, and is noted for the artistic genius of the Bengal sculptors

·        the Palas built a number of monasteries and other sacred structures. The Somapura Mahavihara in present-day Bangladesh is a World Heritage Site

·        The gigantic structures of other Viharas, including Vikramashila, Odantapuri, and Jagaddala are the other masterpieces of the Palas.