Wikipedia

List of Pala emperors

The imperial Pāla Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent during the medieval era, was established in the 8th century CE in the region of Bengal. It was named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers had names ending with the suffix 'Pāla' which means 'protector' in Prakrit. The Pala Empire was founded with the election of Gopala as its emperor in late 8th century CE.

Gaudeshwar of Pala Empire
Imperial
Details
StyleHis Imperial Majesty
First monarchGopala I
Last monarchGovindapala
Formation750 CE
Abolition1999 CE or 1200 CE
Residence Varendra (8th century)
AppointerHereditary

List edit

Most of the Pala inscriptions mention only the regnal year as the date of issue. This lack of a well-known calendar era makes it difficult to determine the chronology of Pala kings.[1]

There's no universal consensus on how to interpret the various inscriptions and historical records for the Pala kings. Different historians have come up with different conclusions based on their readings. Here are some of the different estimates:[2]

RC Majumdar (1971)[3] AM Chowdhury (1967)[4] BP Sinha (1977)[5] DC Sircar (1975–76)[6] D. K. Ganguly (1994)[1]
Gopala I 750–770 756–781 755–783 750–775 750–774
Dharmapala 770–810 781–821 783–820 775–812 774–806
Devapala 810–c. 850 821–861 820–860 812–850 806–845
Mahendrapala NA (Mahendrapala's existence was conclusively established through a copper-plate charter discovered later.) 845–860
Shurapala I Deemed to be alternate name of Vigrahapala I 850–858 860–872
Gopala II NA (copper-plate charter discovered in 1995. Text of inscription published in 2009.)
Vigrahapala I 850–853 861–866 860–865 858–60 872–873
Narayanapala 854–908 866–920 865–920 860–917 873–927
Rajyapala 908–940 920–952 920–952 917–952 927–959
Gopala III 940–957 952–969 952–967 952–972 959–976
Vigrahapala II 960–c. 986 969–995 967–980 972–977 976–977
Mahipala I 988–c. 1036 995–1043 980–1035 977–1027 977–1027
Nayapala 1038–1053 1043–1058 1035–1050 1027–1043 1027–1043
Vigrahapala III 1054–1072 1058–1075 1050–1076 1043–1070 1043–1070
Mahipala II 1072–1075 1075–1080 1076–1078/9 1070–1071 1070–1071
Shurapala II 1075–1077 1080–1082 1071–1072 1071–1072
Ramapala 1077–1130 1082–1124 1078/9–1132 1072–1126 1072–1126
Kumarapala 1130–1140 1124–1129 1132–1136 1126–1128 1126–1128
Gopala IV 1140–1144 1129–1143 1136–1144 1128–1143 1128–1143
Madanapala 1144–1162 1143–1162 1144–1161/62 1143–1161 1143–1161
Govindapala 1158–1162 NA 1162–1176 or 1158–1162 1161–1165 1161–1165
Palapala NA NA NA 1165–1199 1165–1200

Family tree edit

Note:[2] edit

  • Earlier historians believed that Vigrahapala I and Shurapala I were the two names of the same person. Now, it is known that these two were cousins; they either ruled simultaneously (perhaps over different territories) or in rapid succession.
  • AM Chowdhury rejects Govindapala and his successor Palapala as the members of the imperial Pala dynasty.
  • According to BP Sinha, the Gaya inscription can be read as either the "14th year of Govindapala's reign" or "14th year after Govindapala's reign". Thus, two sets of dates are possible.
  • D.K. Ganguly mentions another ruler named Indradumnyapala, who is solely known from local tradition. There is no source of his existence yet.[7]
  • A king, Bhimapala also finds a mention in the Sabdapradipa. Rajat Sanyal argues that if Govindapala and Palapala are indeed accepted as Pala kings, Bhimapala also should be, provided that he was chronologically close to Ramapala according to the wording of the text. However, both need more historical evidence.[8]
  • A king named Gomindrapala finds mention in a manuscript, dated his fourth regnal year. R.C. Majumdar identifies him with Govindapala, while S.K. Saraswati suggests he is a later Pala king.[7]

See also edit

Pala Empire
History of Bengal
History of India

References edit

  1. ^ a b Dilip Kumar Ganguly (1994). Ancient India, History and Archaeology. Abhinav. pp. 33–41. ISBN 978-81-7017-304-5.
  2. ^ a b Susan L. Huntington (1984). The "Påala-Sena" Schools of Sculpture. Brill Archive. pp. 32–39. ISBN 90-04-06856-2.
  3. ^ R. C. Majumdar (1971). History of Ancient Bengal. G. Bharadwaj. p. 161–162.
  4. ^ Abdul Momin Chowdhury (1967). Dynastic history of Bengal, c. 750–1200 CE. Asiatic Society of Pakistan. pp. 272–273.
  5. ^ Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha, Cir. 450–1200 A.D. Abhinav Publications. pp. 253–. ISBN 978-81-7017-059-4.
  6. ^ Dineshchandra Sircar (1975–1976). "Indological Notes - R.C. Majumdar's Chronology of the Pala Kings". Journal of Ancient Indian History. IX: 209–10.
  7. ^ a b Ganguly, Dilip Kumar (1994). Ancient India, History and Archaeology. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170173045.
  8. ^ Sanyal, Rajat (2014-01-01). "The Pala-Sena and Others". History of Ancient India Vol 5 POLITICAL HISTORY AND ADMINISTRATION (c. AD 750–1300) (Regional Powers and Their Interactions).
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