Pala dynasty

The Pala dynasty was also one of the famous dynasties established in northern
India in the 8th century AD. of this lineage

The rulers ruled Bengal for 400 years. The main rulers of this dynasty and their
contribution are as follows-

Gopal (Gopal)—Shashank, the famous ruler of Bengal died in 647 AD. After this
five in Bengal

Independent states were established. In them there were mutual wars for power
and Assam, Kannauj and Kashmir etc.Due to the invasions of the rulers on Bengal,
this state became a theater of unrest and anarchy for a century.left. To deal with
this situation, the leading chieftains of Bengal appointed Gopal as the ruler of
Bengal. Thus the Pala dynasty was established in Bengal. He ruled till 770 AD.
During his reign, Gopal not only united the whole of Bengal, but also removed the
disorder prevailing in this state.He also established peace. As a result, at the time
of his death, Bengal again became a united and prosperous state.

Dharmapala (Dharampala) - After the death of Gopala in 770 AD, his son
Dharmapala ascended the throne of Bengal. He ruled till 810 AD. Undoubtedly he
was the most famous and capable ruler of the Pala dynasty. During his reign, the
Pala state was converted into an empire. In the beginning of his reign, he had to
face defeat at the hands of Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja and Rashtrakuta ruler
Dhruva. Despite this, Dharampal did not give up his courage. His most important
achievement was to defeat Indrayudh, the ruler of Kannauj and put Chakrayudh
on the throne. On this occasion, Dharampal organized a grand gathering. The
rulers of Matsya, Bhoja, Kuru, Yavana, Avanti, Gandhara, Yadu and Kir
participated in it. All these rulers accepted the subordination of Dharmapala.
From this it can be estimated that how powerful Dharmapala was at that time.
For this reason he assumed the titles 'Parameshwar', 'Param Bhattarak' and
'Maharajadhiraj'. These achievements of Dharmapala did not prove to be long
term. Pratihara ruler Nagabhatta defeated Chakrayudha and captured Kannauj.
After this, he also defeated Dharmapala in a fierce battle at the place of Munger
(Bihar). But soon after the return of Nagabhatta, Dharmapala again took control
of many areas. Along with being a warrior, Dharmapala had great love for art and
literature. As a result, there was extraordinary development in both these areas
during his reign. He built many Buddhist Viharas. the most important of these
Belonged to Vikramshila. It soon became the most famous center of Buddhist
education and culture.

Devapala - After the death of Dharmapala, his son Devpal became his successor in
810 AD. He ruled for 40 years. He also proved to be an able ruler and a great
conqueror like his father. He conquered Assam and Orissa and merged them in his
kingdom. He also defeated Mihirbhoj, the powerful ruler of the Pratihara dynasty.
He also protected his states from the invasion of Hunas. Apart from being a great
conqueror, Devapala was also a great patron of art and literature. As a result,
during his reign, the Pala dynasty made appreciable progress in these areas.

Narayanpal (Narayanpala) – Narayanpal ruled from 850 AD to 908 AD. He had to

face internal rebellions and external attacks in the beginning of his reign. The
Pratihara ruler Mahendrapal gave a deep blow to the power of the Pala dynasty
by taking over Magadha (North Bihar) and North Bengal. Despite this, Narayanpal
did not give up his courage. He strengthened his position by marrying his son
Rajpal to the daughter of Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna II. Due to mutual wars
between the Rashtrakuta and Pratihara rulers, the power of the Pratihara
kingdom was greatly weakened. Taking advantage of this situation, Narayanpal
attacked and re-captured Magadha and North Bengal. In this way he could restore
the honor of the Pala dynasty.

Successors of Narayanapala — Unfortunately, almost all the successors of

Narayanapala turned out to be weak and useless. As a result, the rapid decline of
the Pal dynasty began. At the end of the 12th century, the rulers of the Sena
dynasty put an end to the Pala dynasty by taking over Bengal.