Thursday, January 18, 2018

THE MOST PROMINENT LEGACY OF PALA EMPIRE - IMMORTAL RAJPUTS



The Pala Empire was an imperial power during the Late Classical period on the subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. The Great King of Bengal

Pala dynasty ruled the regions of Bengal and Bihar for about 400 years, from the 8th to 11th century, with about 20 emperors on the throne during the period. But Dharamapala, the son of Queen Doda devi and the founder of Pala(Doda) Dynasty- Gopala was the most successful king. 


Dharamapala greatly expanded the boundaries of the Pala empire, and made the Palas a dominant power in the northern and eastern India. He is regarded as an efficient administrator and, during this period, the region flourished economically. 

He was initially defeated by the Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja. Later, the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva defeated both Dharmapala and Vatsaraja. After Dhruva left for the Deccan region, Dharmapala built a mighty empire in the northern India. He defeated Indrayudha of Kannauj, and placed his own nominee Chakrayudha on the throne of Kannauj.

He was the one who revived the Nalanda university and founded the Vikramshila university. He also built the great Vihara at Somapuri in Verendri and the Vihara in Paharpur. 

The most prominent legacy of the Pala Empire is the contribution it made towards Buddhism. Thanks to the patronage of the Pala rulers, important Buddhist centers of learning , such as Odantapura, Vikramashila, and Somapura Mahavihara were built. Additionally, the arts and culture flourished as well, as evidenced by the sculptures in stone and metal that have survived till today. Last but not least, it was due to Buddhist missionaries sent by the Pala rulers that the second dissemination of the faith occurred in Tibet, allowing Buddhism to be finally established in that part of the world.




Charyapada was written between 780 - 950 AD (reign of Pala Empire). It was discovered by Haraprasad Shastri in 1907, from Royal library of Nepal. How did the oldest Bengali book reach Nepal?

After the fall of Pala Empire, the Sena dynasty (Western Chalukya Empire) conquered large parts of Pala territory.  The Senas were the supporters of orthodox Brahmanism. Haraprasad Shastri believes that these Buddhist monks were forced to escape Bengal to avoid persecution, and they took asylum in Nepal and Tibet.

Charyapada was written in Abahatta (Proto Bengali) and here is a Tibetan translation of Charyapada in Tibet. The oldest written document of Bengali language is Charyapada (a collection of 46 poems + religious philosophy of Buddhism).



The Gaudas & the Palas who ruled all of Bengal were at the forefront of Vaishnavism. Some of the grandest Vaishnavite temples of the era were from that region. Ofcourse none stand due to invasions. Marxists have brainwashed Bengalis into believing they had nothing to do with Rama, Just to give an example, these were the kind of murthis of being worshipped during the times of the Pala empire. If the murthi itself is so grand & ornate, imagine how huge & magnificent the temple that housed this Vishnu murthi must've been.

In sculpting of moola Vigrahas, none absolutely none can hold a candle to the Palas of Bengal. Not the Cholas, not the Chandelas & not even the Hoysalas. Embodiment of elegance & majesty. No wonder even the great Cholas borrowed elements of Pala art & incorporated into their own.



Exquisite Murti of Shiva as Mrityunjaya from Bengal, Pala period

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्‌।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्‌॥

आप सभी को महाशिवरात्रि की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।

He holds Trishula, Kapala, Kumbha and Mala. Note Jata-Mukuta.


A terrific 900 yr old murthi of Goddess Chamunda belonging to Pala empire who ruled over Bengal & Bihar. Notice the Mundamala & the Scorpion on the torso. At the very base r depicted asuras Chanda & Munda in a decapitated form. 


Smuggled away at @LACMA  https://t.co/ndsDsXfesG 



This 1000 year Pala era murthi of Maha Vishnu now lies smuggled away in the museum of far eastern antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden.


The upper right arm wields the Kaumodaki, upper left the Sudarshana, lower right the padma & lower left arm is damaged.

https://t.co/z9hMatcuYN 



Lakshmi Narayana on Shankha, Pala period, 11th - 12th century.


Gautama Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire.


Gold Coin of PalaEmpire 775-810 CE.
King Dharmapala on a horse & The goddess Lakshmi on a lotus.


SHIVA & PARVATI (Umamaheshvara), North-eastern India (Bihar)
PalaEmpire,10th/11th Century


A basalt statue of Lalita flanked by Ganesha & Kartikeya, Odisha.
11th century, PalaEmpire 
Now in British Museum. 


Avalokiteshwara from Pala empire
He is shown with Trishula and Kalasha sitting calmly on Simhasana.
He was invoked to cure illness. Shiva and Avalokiteshwara have many aspects in common. Here he resembles more to Shiva, lord of all medicinal knowledge in Yajurveda.
~10th century 


Painting of Avalokiteshvar. You may like. 


Magnificent sculpture of Bhagwan Vishnu with Lakshmi & Sarasvati.

from PalaPeriod, 11/12th century. 

Now in the @metmuseum museum. 


Terracotta votive seal depicting Buddhist Goddess Tara holding a lotus stem, made in 9th-10th CE Bengal.

Votive seals of this type were produced in great quantities as a meritorious act by devotees or monks and are typically found at pilgrim centres and other holy Buddhist sites. 


Apart from stone cavings, the Palas were masters of handling metal just like the Cholas. A fine example of a 1200 year Bronze murthi of Maha Vishnu from Bengal. And the badly has the nerve to claim Bengal had nothing to with Rama/Krishna worship! 



A 1200 year old Bronze Murthi of Maha Vishnu & Sridevi belonging to the late Gauda period/early Pala period who ruled over present day Bengal, now lies smuggled away at the San Diego Museum of Art. https://t.co/zVJAycXJYH 


Apart from Vishnu, Shiva & Durga, Bengal under the Palas were major Sun worshippers. Have any of you ever come across such an ornate murthi of Surya anywhere in Bharat? If the murthi itself is so grand, imagine how the Temple that housed it would've been. 



This is absolutely the most amazing sculpture of Lord Suryanarayana I've ever seen! Talk about chiseled look! Pay attention to the kirttimukha, the kamala, the sword in his left hand.Also seen are his consort Prabha & his charioteer, Aruna. Smuggled at V&A https://t.co/ZE7pXzEqqr 



This 1100 year old rare & exquisite panel depicting all the Navagrahas belonging to the Pala era, who ruled over Bihar is no longer in Bharat. It lies smuggled away at the San Diego Museum of Art. It was acquired by them as recently as December 2007.  https://t.co/BxI6xZaJBr 

Much of Bengal's enormous Vaishnavite heritage lies smuggled away at museums abroad. Couple that with decades of communist rule that sought to not only crush Hinduism but also sow the seeds of a unique Bengali only identity seperate from the rest of Bharat, These same commie bongs who've fled their commie jihadi hellhole to places like Mumbai & Bengaluru now mock neighbouring Bihar who still worship Lord Surya in a big way during Chhat Puja. A tradition that actually has its origins in ancient Bengal. Talk about self hate!

Do you know what they did with the carried away Murthi?  They venerated it unlike your beloved Islamists who would break it and put it where you and your disciples could trample it.

Also how many such instances can you quote?


This is the bronze murti of shiva that was taken after defeating Mahipal, And is kept in the Kadambur Amirtakadeswarar Temple where it is worshiped even today. The temple or the murti wasn’t vandalised at all. Not at all comparable to the Islamic desecration on our temples. 


This undamaged Pala era Vishnu murti was recently dug by the waterworks department in Shekhpura, Bihar. Most likely it was hidden just prior to the onslaught of the Islamic forces that razed down most Pala era temples in Bihar-Bengal belt. (Photo via Halley Goswami) 

Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty
Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty was very developed and `Pala School of Sculptural Art` was a distinctive achieveme.


In India, during the rule of Palas, art and architecture witnessed a phenomenal development in the states of Bengal and Bihar. The matchless tradition of sculptural art had attained a new position under the reign of Palas. The exclusive development of Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty demonstrated the emergence of 'Pala School of Sculptural Art'. The characteristic of art and architecture of that period included lot of local phenomena of the Bengali society. Consequently, the most distinctive achievements during the age of the Palas were in the field of art and sculptures.



Amazing pottery Pal period. Bengal area. Unbelievable intricate patterns created on these pottery. Anyone can imagine kind of expertise required in making such terracotta articles. Fire or temperature is crucial for getting perfect pot of clay


unbelievably beautifull pottery existed in ancient India

during pala empire strating from 8the century onwards in bengal, Wow. Amazing. Such a beautiful pot terracotta. Is it real or i am dreaming? Pot making and that too crafting or carving such intricate design on clay seems very unusual or difficult job. 


how come pottery from ancient India-Bharat can be so beautifull

a work of art?

Pala Empire period


For all the wondrous Pala Vigrahas that keep emerging even today, literally none of the Temples built during their era survived brutal invasions. If excavations r conducted @ barbarian structures in Bengal & parts of Bihar,we will find ruins of Pala Temples.


Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty furnished the accomplishment in the field of terracotta, sculpture and painting. One of the finest instances of architecture of the Pala period is a creation of Dhamapala, the Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur. In addition to that several enormous structures of Vikramshila Vihar, Odantpuri Vihar, and Jagaddal Vihar proclaim to be the masterpieces of the Palas. The architectural style of the Pala Empire influenced the whole of the country and its neighbouring countries. Their approach was followed throughout south-eastern Asia, China, Japan, and Tibet.


How many know that Nalanda was reestablished by Bengal's Pala Empire?

Vikramashila, and several such universities(in present day Bangladesh) were in fact build by Palas.

But all of these was given up to praise Nawabs who didn't even consider themselves bengali. 


What were the historians of bengal smoking?

The matchless examples of the Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty find their significance in the museums in Bangladesh and West Bengal as the remarkable display. The museums play abode to the innumerable beautiful sculptures on Rajmahal black basalt stone. The sculptures beautifully carved in the Pala period demonstrate the mastery of Pala dynasty. The age saw an upsurge of perfect carving and Bronze sculptures. Furthermore, it has been recognized by the historians that the specimens of bronzes influenced the art in south-east Asian countries.



This a Pala Empire statue of Buddha's mother, Queen Maya from about the 10th Century AD.  Her nobolity is indicated by her rich array of jewellery, and her link to the Buddha is portrayed in his images on her crown @thnx to electic museum! 

Art and Architecture of Pala Dynasty also involved the art of painting also excelled in that period. Though, no exact examples of paintings have been found of that period yet various illustrations of beautiful paintings of the Buddhist gods and goddesses, appearing in the Vajrayana and Tantrayana Buddhist manuscripts corroborate the subsistence of paintings in the Pala Empire. Moreover, with advanced stage of architectural expansion several Buddhist Viharas came originated. The plan of central shrine in the Buddhist Vihara evolved in Bengal during the Pala rule. Other instances demonstrating the brilliance of the art in the Pala period include the terracotta plaques. These plaques are used as the surface decoration of the walls and are recognised as unique creation of the Bengal artists.



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