Pala Dynasty of Bengal (8th–11th Century)

At a Glance

• Founder Gopala, chosen king about 750
• Region Bengal and Bihar, with Gauda as an early capital
• Greatest kings Dharmapala and Devapala
• Religion patronised Mahayana Buddhism, with grants to Shaivism and Vaishnavism
• Successors The Senas of Bengal
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Medieval History: Early Medieval Period

Where Does It Fit?

This is the second topic of the category on the early medieval period. The previous topic covered the Pratiharas, the western rivals of the Palas, and this topic follows the eastern power of the same age. The next topic covers the three-way war for Kanauj. Previous topic: Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty (8th–10th Century). The earlier history of the region is in Spread of Civilisation in Eastern India.

How Did the Pala Dynasty Begin?

In short: the Palas were a Buddhist dynasty of Bengal and Bihar that rose about 750, dominated eastern India for about a hundred years, and lasted in reduced form until the twelfth century.

The period after the death of Harsha was one of political confusion. Gopala founded the Pala empire probably in 750, when the notable men of the area elected him king to end the anarchy there. He was not born in a high, much less a royal, family, and his father was probably a soldier. He united Bengal and brought Magadha under his control.

Who Were the Main Pala Rulers?

Historians differ on these years by a few decades, so exam answers should rely on century-level dates unless the question gives a chronology.

What Happened in the Reigns of Dharmapala and Devapala?

Dharmapala succeeded in 770 and ruled until 810. His reign was marked by the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas for Kanauj and north India. The Rashtrakuta king Dhruva defeated the Pratihara ruler and returned to the Deccan, which left the field free for Dharmapala. He occupied Kanauj and held a grand darbar attended by vassal rulers from Punjab and eastern Rajasthan. This triumphal phase falls between 790 and 800.

He could not hold the gain. The Pratihara power revived under Nagabhatta II, and Dharmapala was defeated near Munger. Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh stayed a bone of contention, though Bihar and Bengal remained mostly Pala. Devapala, who ruled about 40 years from 810, turned elsewhere and extended control over Pragjyotishpur (Assam) and parts of Odisha, and possibly part of modern Nepal. An Arab merchant, Sulaiman, wrote in the middle of the ninth century that the Pala king was at war with his neighbours but had more troops than his enemies. He called the Pala kingdom Ruhma, a form of Dharma, short for Dharmapala.

How Did the Palas Decline and Revive?

After Devapala the dynasty weakened. Mahipala I revived Pala power in the late tenth and early eleventh centuries, and Rajendra Chola’s army marched to Bengal about 1022, crossed the Ganga and defeated local kings, according to the Chola record. In the 1070s the Kaivarta chief Divya rose in revolt, killed Mahipala II and seized Varendra. Ramapala later defeated Divya’s nephew Bhima and made Ramavati his capital.

The revolt weakened Pala control over its subordinates, an analytical point that helped the rise of the Senas, who took southern and eastern Bengal and replaced the Palas in the twelfth century.

Why Are the Palas Remembered for Buddhism and Learning?

Tibetan chronicles, written in the seventeenth century, describe the Pala kings as great patrons of Buddhist learning. Dharmapala revived Nalanda and set apart 200 villages for its expenses, and he founded Vikramashila, which became second only to Nalanda in fame. It stood on a hill on the banks of the Ganga in Magadha. He is also credited with Somapura Mahavihara, now a World Heritage Site. The Palas built many viharas for large numbers of monks.

The Pala rulers kept close ties with Tibet. The Buddhist scholars Santarakshita and Dipankara, called Atisa, were invited to Tibet and introduced a new form of Buddhism there. Many Tibetan Buddhists then flocked to Nalanda and Vikramashila. The Palas also gave patronage to Shaivism and Vaishnavism, and they made grants to Brahmans who came to Bengal, which helped spread cultivation.

How Did Trade and Southeast Asian Links Help the Palas?

Growing prosperity in Bengal extended trade and cultural contacts with Burma, Malaya, Java and Sumatra. The trade was very profitable and brought gold and silver from these countries. The Buddhist Sailendra dynasty, which ruled Malaya, Java, Sumatra and nearby islands, sent many embassies to the Pala court. It asked permission to build a monastery at Nalanda and asked Devapala to endow five villages for its upkeep, and the request was granted.

How Were the Pala Army and Court Organised?

The Pala kings maintained the largest number of war elephants in the period. The infantry included soldiers from Malwa, Khasa (Assam), Lata (south Gujarat) and Karnataka, and the Palas probably had a navy. A Brahmana family supplied four successive chief ministers to Dharmapala and his successors, so ministerial posts were often hereditary. Territory under direct rule was divided into bhuktis and mandalas or visayas, headed by an uparika and a visayapati. Pala bronzes, and the early Bengali verse of the Charyapadas, belong to this age.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Eastern power Dominated eastern India for about a hundred years from the mid-eighth century
• Buddhist centre Revived Nalanda and founded Vikramashila
• Foreign links Ties with Tibet and the Sailendras of Southeast Asia

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the long contest of the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas for Kanauj. Next topic: The Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj Among the Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas.

Key People and Terms

• Gopala Founder, elected about 750
• Dharmapala Occupied Kanauj; founded Vikramashila
• Devapala Ruled about 40 years; Sailendra grant
• Atisa (Dipankara) Pala-era scholar who went to Tibet
• Sulaiman Arab merchant who called the kingdom Ruhma
• Divya Kaivarta leader of the revolt in the 1070s

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions on the Palas combine politics and culture. These points add depth.

• Politics Dominance of the east, failure to hold Kanauj, decline after the Kaivarta revolt
• Culture Buddhist learning, Tibet links, bronzes
• Economy Southeast Asian trade and Brahman land grants