🔆 *Pala dynasty:*
✅ Founded by Gopala.
✅ After the death of Harsha and up to the rise of the Palas, the history of Bengal is not clear.
✅ During this time, West Bengal was known as Gauda and East Bengal as Vanga.
✅ Bengal was subject to internal disorder, which has been termed as Matsyanyaya.
✅ Gopala was the elected king by the people in a revolution to end the Matsyanyaya.
✅ Dharmapala became ruler after Gopala in about A.D. 780. He undertakes the expansion of his empire.
✅ According to Tibetan historians, Pala rulers were great patrons of Buddhist learning and religion.
✅ Dharmapala founded the famous Buddhist monastery at Vikramashila. It became eminent as Nalanda (in fame).
✅ The Pala kings patronized Hinduism as well.
✅ The Palas had close trade contacts and cultural links with South East Asia and China.
✅ The trade with South East Asia and China was very profitable and added greatly to the prosperity of the Pala Empire.
✅ The Palas were great patrons of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddhist philosopher Haribhadra was the spiritual preceptor of Dharmapala.
✅Various mahaviharas , Stupas ,chaityas,temples and forts were constructed.
✅The earliest examples of miniature painting in India exist in the form of illustrations to the religious texts on Buddhism executed under the Palas of the eastern India.
✅Bronze casting was an important feature of pala sculptures.
