Palas

Palas

After the death of Sasanka, almost a century of chaos prevailed in Bengal. In about the middle of the eighth century AD, the Pala dynasty came into power. Its founder was Gopala, who was elected to the throne as he had proved his valour and capability as a leader. He was a Buddhist. He was succeeded by Dharmapala (circa 770-810). He was succeeded by Devapala who was followed by Mahipala I. By this time, the Palas had lost even their ancestral kingdom in Bengal. But Mahipala I succeeded in restoring the lost prestige of his empire. He succeeded in capturing north, west and east Bengal, and in extending his territories upto Banaras in the west. He has thus been rightly called the founder of the second Pala empire. The successors of Mahipala I were weaklings. Thus, by middle of the twelfth century, the Pala power had faded.
The Pal as were patrons of Buddhism. In their reign grew the Tantric sect in Buddhism. Dharmapala founded the university of Vikramasila.

PRATIHARAS

PRATIHARAS

The foundation of one branch of Pratiharas was laid down by Harichandra, a brahman, near modern Jodhpur in the ;niddle of the sixth century AD. The foun­dation of another branch was at Malwa with its capital at Ujjain, and the earliest known king of this branch was Nagabhatta I. He c~me into prominence because of his successful resistance of the Arabs. He fought against the Rashtrakuta ruler Dantidurga. The next important ruler of the dynasty was Vatsaraja. The greatest king of the dynasty was Bhoja who ascended the throne in or about 836 and assumed the titles Mihira and Adivaraha. He extended his kingdom's boundary to the east and up to the Sindhu in the north. Bhoja was succeeded by Mahendrapala I around 893. In about 912, Mahipala came to the throne. In the reign of his successor, Mahendrapala II, the disintegration of the Pratihara kingdom began and on its ruins arose small independent kingdoms, many of them of Rajput princes.

TRIPARTITE STRUGGLE

TRIPARTITE STRUGGLE

On the ruins of Harsha's empire two fJwerful kingdoms rose in the north: the Palas in Bengal and the Pratiharas in northern and western India. At about t~e ,~Tl1.e time;the Rashtrakutas were in power in the nortl-t~rn Jeccan. The most striking feature of the period betwet' AD 750 and 1000 was the tripartite struggle between the Pahs, Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas for the control of Ke.nauj, which had replaced Pataliputra as the symbol of "ower and sover­elgnty following the reign of Harsha. The Rashtrakutas have already been discussed in Chapter 9; now we briefly consider the Palas and Pratiharas.