Devapala
Encyclopedia
Deva Pala (ruled 810–850 CE) was a powerful emperor from the Pala Empire
of Bengal
region in the Indian Subcontinent
. He was the third king in the line and had succeeded his father, emperor Dharamapala
(ruled 770–810 CE). He inherited a great empire
built by his father but he also made his own significant contributions to it to expand its frontiers.
of northwest and Deccan in the south and that he exterminated the Utkalas
, conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam
), shattered the pride of the Hunas, and humbled the lords of Gurjara Pratihara
s and the Dravidas.
Information provided by these inscriptions bears witness to Devapala's encounter with the Kambojas
of Kabol valley
, which nation, since remote antiquity, had been known for its quality war horses. The Monghyr Charter also bears witness to the fact that the Palas recruited their war horses from this Kamboja of the northwest. King Devapala definitely had some sort of relations with the north-west borderland of India (i.e. Kamboja) which fact also appears probable from his connections with Viradeva, a scholar from Nagarahara, Jalalabad
near Kabul
whom he had appointed to the post of Abbot of Nalanda
in south Bihar
. Probably, Devapala had brought Viradeva during his military expedition to Kamboja in north-west .
policy and in his military compaigns under his real cousin General Jayapala, the Pala army invaded Pragjyotisha (Assam) where the king submitted without giving a fight and the Utkalas whose king fled from his capital city . On the opposite frontiers of the empire
, were the Hunas located in south-east Punjab in Uttarapatha
who became the next target of Devapala's fury. From there, the Pala forces had proceeded further to subjugate the Kambojas of North-West Frontiers (Trans-Indus territory). Thereafter, Devapala reduced king Ramabhadra of the Gurjara Pratihara Empire
and later he defeated Gurjar Emperor Mihir Bhoja. It also pointed out that Devapala had vanquished the Rashtrakuta
ruler Amoghavarsha. He is further claimed that he humbled the rulers of Dravida .
. Balaputradeva, the Sailendra
king of Java
requested Devapala to endow land for the monastery at Nalanda.
, who was succeeded by Vigrahapala
, his nephew according to one view and his son according the other.
. Under the Palas, Bengal played a very important role in the history of India
.
Pala Empire
The Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala , which means protector. The Palas were often described...
of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
region in the Indian Subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. He was the third king in the line and had succeeded his father, emperor Dharamapala
Dharmapala of Bengal
Dharama Pala was the second ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the son and succeessor of Gopala , the founder of the Pala Dynasty. He greatly expanded the boundaries of the Pala Empire founded by his father and made the Palas the most dominant power in...
(ruled 770–810 CE). He inherited a great empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
built by his father but he also made his own significant contributions to it to expand its frontiers.
Military career of Devapala
Though not much is known about the details of his military campaigns, he is said to have exacted tributes from whole of northern India from Himalayas to Vindhyas and from east to west ocean . More specifically, the inscriptions reveal that his victorious military compaigns led him as far as to KambojaKambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
of northwest and Deccan in the south and that he exterminated the Utkalas
Utkala Kingdom
Utkala Kingdom was located in the northern and eastern portion of the modern-day Indian state of Orissa. This kingdom was mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, with the names Utkala, Utpala, Okkal and Odra desha...
, conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
), shattered the pride of the Hunas, and humbled the lords of Gurjara Pratihara
Pratihara
The Gurjara Pratihara , often simply called Pratihara Empire, was an imperial Indian dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the 6th to the 11th centuries. At its peak of prosperity and power , the Gurajara-Pratihara Empire rivaled or even exceeded the Gupta Empire in the extent of its...
s and the Dravidas.
Information provided by these inscriptions bears witness to Devapala's encounter with the Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
of Kabol valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, which nation, since remote antiquity, had been known for its quality war horses. The Monghyr Charter also bears witness to the fact that the Palas recruited their war horses from this Kamboja of the northwest. King Devapala definitely had some sort of relations with the north-west borderland of India (i.e. Kamboja) which fact also appears probable from his connections with Viradeva, a scholar from Nagarahara, Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
near Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
whom he had appointed to the post of Abbot of Nalanda
Nalanda
Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...
in south Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. Probably, Devapala had brought Viradeva during his military expedition to Kamboja in north-west .
Imperialistic and expanionistic policies
According to "Age of Imperial Kanauj" (History and Culture of Indian People), the above inscriptional statements attest that Devapala had followed imperialistic and expansionisticExpansionism
In general, expansionism consists of expansionist policies of governments and states. While some have linked the term to promoting economic growth , more commonly expansionism refers to the doctrine of a state expanding its territorial base usually, though not necessarily, by means of military...
policy and in his military compaigns under his real cousin General Jayapala, the Pala army invaded Pragjyotisha (Assam) where the king submitted without giving a fight and the Utkalas whose king fled from his capital city . On the opposite frontiers of the empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
, were the Hunas located in south-east Punjab in Uttarapatha
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
who became the next target of Devapala's fury. From there, the Pala forces had proceeded further to subjugate the Kambojas of North-West Frontiers (Trans-Indus territory). Thereafter, Devapala reduced king Ramabhadra of the Gurjara Pratihara Empire
Pratihara
The Gurjara Pratihara , often simply called Pratihara Empire, was an imperial Indian dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the 6th to the 11th centuries. At its peak of prosperity and power , the Gurajara-Pratihara Empire rivaled or even exceeded the Gupta Empire in the extent of its...
and later he defeated Gurjar Emperor Mihir Bhoja. It also pointed out that Devapala had vanquished the Rashtrakuta
Rashtrakuta
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
ruler Amoghavarsha. He is further claimed that he humbled the rulers of Dravida .
Religious leanings
Devapala was a staunch Buddhist and is stated to have granted five villages to Buddhist monasteries for the promotion of Buddhism and the welfare & comforts of the Bhikshus. He is said to have got constructed many temples and monasteries in MagadhaMagadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
. Balaputradeva, the Sailendra
Sailendra
Sailendra is the name of an influential Indonesian dynasty that emerged in 8th century Java.The Sailendras were active promoters of Mahayana Buddhism and covered the Kedu Plain of Central Java with Buddhist monuments, including the world famous Borobudur.The Sailendras are considered to be a...
king of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
requested Devapala to endow land for the monastery at Nalanda.
Successor of Devapala
Devapala had ruled for about 40 years and was succeeded by his son MahendrapalaMahendrapala
Mahendrapala was the fourth emperor of the Pala dynasty. He succeeded his father Devapala. We came to know about him and his mahasenapati Vajradeva from the Jagjivanpur copper plate grant dated in his 7th regnal year and issued from the Kuddalakhataka jayaskandhavara . He was succeeded by his...
, who was succeeded by Vigrahapala
Vigrahapala
Vigrahapala was the fifth emperor of the Pala dynasty and the successor of Mahendrapala, the son and successor of Devapala. He reigned for 1 year. Vigrahapala was a grandson of Dharmapala's younger brother Vakapala and son of Jayapala. He was succeeded by his son, Narayanapala...
, his nephew according to one view and his son according the other.
Estimate of Devapala
It is stated that the reigns of Dharmapala and Devapala constituted the most brilliant period of BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Under the Palas, Bengal played a very important role in the history of India
History of India
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...
.
See also
- List of rulers of Bengal
- GopalaGopala (Pala king)Gopala was the founder of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. The last morpheme of his name pala means "protector" and was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala monarchs...
- DharmapalaDharmapala of BengalDharama Pala was the second ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the son and succeessor of Gopala , the founder of the Pala Dynasty. He greatly expanded the boundaries of the Pala Empire founded by his father and made the Palas the most dominant power in...
- MahipalaMahipalaMahipala I is considered the second founder of the Pala dynasty. Gopala I established the dynastic rule of the Palas in the middle of the 8th century CE. The Pala Dynasty ruled Bengal and Bihar for about four centuries from the middle of the 8th century CE...
- Pala EmpirePala EmpireThe Pāla Empire was one of the major middle kingdoms of India existed from 750–1174 CE. It was ruled by a Buddhist dynasty from Bengal in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, all the rulers bearing names ending with the suffix Pala , which means protector. The Palas were often described...
Further reading
- History of Bengal, Vol I, Dr R. C. Majumdar
- Ancient India, 2003, Dr V. D. Mahajan
- History and Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Kanauj, 1964, (Ed) Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar
- Vangalar Itihaasa (Bangla), R. D. Banerjee
- The Early History of India, 1957, Dr. V. A. Smith
- Bihar Through the Ages, 1958, (Gen Editor) R. R. Diwarkar
- Some Historical Aspects of the Inscriptions of Bengal, 1962, Calcutta University, Dr B. C. Sen
- Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol XV-4, 1939, Dr H. C. Ray
- Epigraphia Indica, Vol XVII
- Epigraphia Indica, Vol XXII, Dr N. G. Majumdar
- Dynastic History of Northern India, Vol I, Dr H. C. Ray