Rule in Bengal

Rule in Bengal Sashanka, the Gauda ruler, believed to have ruled between and CE, is considered the first prominent king of ancient Bengal. After the fall of the Gauda kingdom, there was no central authority, which led to recurring wars between petty chieftains. So, in CE, a group of chiefs met and decided on a “Kshatriya chief” named Gopala to be their ruler. There is a story that Gopala was elected because of his ability to kill a “demoness” that had killed those who were previously elected like him. Though Gopala did not have royal antecedents, he succeeded in acquiring a kingdom. Gopala’s political authority was soon recognised by several independent chiefs. His original kingdom was in Vanga or East Bengal. The Palas ruled eastern India from Pataliputra between the ninth and the early twelfth centuries. Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali were the languages in use in their kingdom. Palas followed Mahayana Buddhism. XI History - Lesson - - Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms Somapura Mahavihara (Bangladesh) Literature The prominent Buddhist scholars of Vikramashila and Nalanda universities were Atisha, Saraha, Tilopa, Dansheel, Dansree, Jinamitra, Muktimitra, Padmanava, Virachan and Silabhadra. The notable Pala texts on philosophy include Agama Shastra by Gaudapada, and Nyaya Kundali by Sridhar Bhatta. Many texts on medicine were compiled by Chakrapani Datta, Sureshwar Gadadhara Vaidya and Jimutavahana. The Palas also patronised Sanskrit scholars. Many Buddhist tantric works were authored and translated into Sanskrit. The original tantric works comprise a varied group of Indian and Tibetan texts. The “Mahipalageet” (songs on Mahipala), a set of folk songs, are still popular in the rural areas of Bengal. Sandhyakar Nandi’s epic Ramacharitam , a biography of a later Pala ruler Ramapala, describes how forest chiefs were brought into their alliance through lavish gifts. Vikaramashila University III The Rashtrakutas The rivalry between the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas proved to be destructive to both the dynasties. The Arab traveller Al- Masudi who visited Kanauj recorded the enmity between the two ruling dynasties. The Rashtrakutas who were bidding their time to The slide of the Pala dynasty