Palas Of Bengal

The Pala Empire, which initially started from (750-1161 CE) was a powerful empire during the postclassical period in the Indian subcontinent. It mainly originated from the region of Bengal and was named after the ruling dynasties that ended with the suffix Pala or known as a protector. At that period, many followers of Mahayana and Tantric taught Buddhism. The emperor of Gauda founded the empire in 750 CE. The cities which formed the Pala were Bihar, Gauda, Vikrampura, Pataliputra, Monghyr, Somapura, Ramvati (Varendra), Tamralipta and Jaggadala.

Origination and nature of Palas of Bengal

According to the Khalimpur copper plate inscription, the first-ever Pala king was born as Gopala as the son of a warrior named Vapyata. The ethics of the dynasty is unknown, and the later records claim that Gopala was a Kshatriya or descended from the legendary Solar dynasty. 

The Palas dynasty was branded as Sudra from the sources of Manjushri-Mula Kalpa, which is taken from the Buddhist leanings. The Palas were based on diplomats and military conquerors. Their armies were noted for their vast war elephant corps.

They had an excellent navy that performed both mercantile and defensive roles in the Bay of Bengal. They also built grand temples and monasteries, including the Somapura Mahavihara and Odantapuri, and patronised great universities like Nalanda and Vikramshila. The empire was filled with joy, cultures, and good scholars. They also enjoyed their relationship with the other kingdoms like the Tibetan Empire and the Arab Abbasid Caliphate. 

Archaeological facts

The Abbasid coinage was found in the Pala archaeological sites, where it has flourishing points about mercantile and intellectual contacts. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad depicted the mathematical and astronomical achievements of the Indian civilization of the Pala reign. Earlier in the 9th century, the dominance of the Pala Empire in the northern portion of the Indian subcontinent spanned up to the regions of Gangetic plains (present eastern Pakistan and northern parts of India). The Palas of Bengal had an empire so vast and great that it reached its peak under the Emperors of Dharmapala and Devapala.

The Palas had an exerted and cultural solid influence under Atisa in Tibet and Southeast Asia. There was an incident where the resurgent Hindu Sena dynasty dethroned the Pala Empire in the 12th century. The period Palas is considered one of the golden eras of Bengali history. Stability and prosperity were restored in Bengal after centuries of civil war. 

Bengal civilization has achieved outstanding works on art and architecture. After that, the proto-Bengali language got developed, which included the first-ever literary work, the Charyapada. The legacy of Pala is still reflected in Tibetan Buddhism. 

Cultural heritage

The Palas mainly engraved images of Mahayana Buddhism. However, a few sources have also been written about Gopala’s death that mentions Buddhism. Many scholars believe that Gopala was a believer in Buddhism and, in his honour, built the famous monastery at Odantapuri. On the other hand, Dharmapala made the Buddhist philosopher Haribhadra as his spiritual preceptor. The world-famous Vikramashila monastery and the Somapura Mahavihara were also established during his period.

The Palas successfully developed Buddhist learning centres, such as the Vikramashila and the Nalanda universities. It is considered one of the first great universities in recorded history. They also supported the Saiva ascetics, associated with the Golgi-Maths. In later years, Narayana Pala established a temple of Shiva. It was presented at the place of sacrifice by his Brahmin minister.

The military strength

The Palas were known for their highest military set-up. The highest military officer in the Pala Empire was the Mahaganapati (commander-in-chief). In addition, the Palas recruited mercenary soldiers from several kingdoms, including the Malava, Khasa, Huna, Kulika, Mithila, Kanata, Lata, Odra, and Manali. According to some resources on the accounts of Rashtrakutas, they had the best infantry, the Gurjara-Pratiharas had the finest cavalry, and the Palas had the most significant elephant force. Arab merchants of Sulaiman stated that the Palas had an army more extensive than those of the Balhara (possibly the Rashtrakutas) and the king of Jurz (possibly the Gurjara-Pratiharas).

The inscriptions stated that the Pala army employed 10,000–15,000 men for fuelling and washing clothes. It further stated that the Pala king would lead 50,000 war elephants during the battles. Since Bengal did not have an excellent native breed of horses, the Palas imported their cavalry horses, including the Kambojas, from the foreigners. 

Geographical feature

The Pala empire covered the borders of the region of North India and became a constant hostility of the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas. But no records mention the exact location of where the Gopala reign started, but it mentions only Bengal. The records in the epigraph also credit Devapala with extensive conquests in hyperbolic language. The Badal pillar inscription of his successor Narayana Pala states his Brahmin minister’s wise counsel and policy. The Vindhyas and the Himalayas bound Northern India. His empire extended up to the two oceans (presumably the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal). 

The end of the empire

The empire got devastated after the death of Devapala and his successor Narayanapala who lost control of Assam and Orissa. He also lost control over Magadha and north Bengal. On the other hand, Gopala II lost control of Bengal and ruled only from a part of Bihar. Later on, the Pala empire disintegrated into smaller kingdoms during the reign of Vigrahapala II. Somehow, Mahipala recovered parts of Bengal and Bihar. Finally, the last strong Pala ruler, Ramapala, managed to gain control of Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and parts of Orissa. But by the time of Madanapalas death, the Pala kingdom was confined to parts of central and east Bihar and northern Bengal.

Conclusion

The Palas of Bengal were unbelievably strong and believers of Buddhism. Their artifacts and cultures today attract many historians. The amount of education that the people received during the Pala empire’s reign has shown through their names of excellent universities. It is believed that even foreigners used to come to study.