THE PALAS

Overview

• The Palas ruled Bengal and much of northern India from the 8^th to the 12^th centuries CE
• The capital cities of the Palas were Pataliputra (Bihar) and Gaur (West Bengal)
• The Palas were in continuous conflict with the Rashtrakutas and the Pratiharas for more than two centuries
• The Palas patronized the Buddhist universities at Vikramashila and Nalanda. The Nalanda University reached its height during the reign of the Palas
• Dharmapala constructed the Somapura Mahavira, the biggest Buddhist Vihara in Indian subcontinent. The Somapura Mahavira, located at Paharpur (Bangladesh) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1985)

Extent and lineage

The Somapura Mahavihara, built by the Pala emperor Dharmapala, is the largest Buddhist vihara in the Indian subcontinent. It is located in Paharpur, Bangladesh

• The Pala dynasty was established by Gopala (750-770 CE) who came to power in a democratic election. This event is said to be the first democratic elections in India since the time of the Mahajanapadas
  
• The Pala kingdom reached its peak under Dharmapala (770-810) and Devapala (810-850)
• At its height, the Pala kingdom extended from Assam in the east to Kandahar in the west, and Punjab in the north to the Deccan in the south

Literature

• The earliest development of proto-Bangla language was during the Pala reign
• The Buddhist texts Charyapada were the earliest form of Bangla language. The Charyapada are a collection of mystical poems from the Tantric school of Buddhism
  
• The Buddhist teacher Atisha Dipankara Shrijana wrote over 200 books, primarily translations of Sanskrit Buddhist manuscripts into Tibetan
  
• Sandhyakar Nandi wrote the famous epic poem Ramacharitam in Sanskrit (c. late 11^th century). The Ramacharitam simultaneously narrates the story of the Ramayana as well as events in Bengal during the Pala reign in a poem containing 215 verses

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