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The Pāla Empire (r.
750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian
subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is
named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the
suffix Pāla ("protector"
in Prakrit). The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla as the
emperor of Gauda in late
eighth century AD. The Pala stronghold was located in
Bengal and eastern Bihar, which included the major
cities of Gauḍa, Vikramapura, Pāṭaliputra, Monghyr, Somapura, Ramavati
(Varendra), Tāmralipta and Jaggadala. The Pālas were astute diplomats
and military conquerors. Their army was noted for its vast war
elephant corps. Their navy performed both mercantile and defensive
roles in the Bay of Bengal. At its zenith under emperors Dharmapala and Devapala in the early ninth
century, Pala empire was the dominant power in the northern Indian
subcontinent, with its territory stretching across the Gangetic
plain to include some parts northeastern
India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Dharmapala
also exerted a strong cultural influence through Buddhist scholar Atis Dipankar in Tibet, as well as in
Southeast Asia. Pala control of North India was ultimately ephemeral, as they
struggled with the Gurjara-Pratiharas and
the Rashtrakutas for
the control of Kannauj and
were defeated. After a short lived decline, Emperor Mahipala I defended
imperial bastions in Bengal and Bihar against South Indian Chola invasions.
Emperor Ramapala was
the last strong Pala ruler, who gained control of Kamarupa and Kalinga. The
empire was considerably weakened with many areas engulfed and their heavy
dependence on Samantas being
exposed through 11th century rebellion. It finally led to the rise of
resurgent Hindu Senas as sovereign power in 12th century and final expulsion
of the Palas from Bengal by their hands marking the
end of last major Buddhist imperial power in the subcontinent. The Pala period is considered one of the golden eras of
Bengali history. The Palas brought stability and
prosperity to Bengal after centuries of civil war between warring divisions.
They advanced the achievements of previous Bengali civilisations and created
outstanding works of arts and architecture. The Charyapada in Proto-Bengali
language was written by Buddhist Mahasiddhas of tantric tradition,
which laid the basis of several eastern Indian languages in their rule. Palas built grand temples and monasteries, including the Somapura Mahavihara and Odantapuri, and patronised the great
universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. The
empire enjoyed relations with the Srivijaya Empire, the Tibetan
Empire and the Arab Abbasid
Caliphate. Islam first arrived in Bengal during this period as a result
of flourishing mercantile and intellectual contacts with Middle-East.
The Pala legacy is still reflected in Tibetan Buddhism. (From Wikipedia) |
9th Century |
