Gopala (ruled c. 750s–770s CE) was the founder of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal region of the Indian Subcontinent. The last morpheme of his name Pala means "protector" and was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala monarchs. Pala does not suggest or indicate any ethnic or caste considerations of the Pala dynasty. He came to power around 750 CE in Gauda(bengal) after being elected by a group of regional chieftains.
Gopala the founder of the pala dynasty, which ruled Bengal for about four centuries. For about a century from the middle of the 7th century AD Bengal witnessed a period of unsettled condition due to the absence of stable government and the whole country was torn by internal strife and disturbed by invasions from outside. The condition of Bengal towards the middle of the 8th century AD, before the rise of Gopala, found mention in the Pala record (Khalimpur copperplate of dharmapala) as a state of matsyanyayam. Gopala emerged as the ruler of Bengal out of this chaos and put an end to this state of affair. During his rule of about 25 years (c 756 - 781) he must have had consolidated the rule of his dynasty to such an extent that his son and successor, Dharmapala, could embark upon a career of aggrandisement and appreciable success. However, we do not have adequate sources to know about the details of his reign.
Origins
Reignc. 750s–770s CE
PredecessorVacant
SuccessorDharmapala
HousePala Dynasty
DynastyPala
FatherVapyata
There are no contemporary sources of information about Gopala's life:
he is known only through the later literary references and genealogies in inscriptions.
The name of his father was Vapyata, and his grandfather Dayitavishnu. A eulogy on the Khalimpur copper plate of his son Dharmapala describes his father Vapyata as a Khanditarati or "killer of enemies", and his grandfather Dayitavishnu as Sarva-vidyavadata ("all-knowing" in the sense "highly educated"). The later texts of the Pala period, such as Ramacharita, mention the Pala rulers as the kings descended from the lunar dynasty.
The problem of determining the original kingdom of the Palas from where they rose to power is as difficult as the problem of their ancestry. The ramacharitam refers to varendra (northern Bengal) as the janakabhu of the Palas, and this would lead to the supposition that northern Bengal was the original kingdom of the Palas. The Arya-Manjuxrimulakalpa refers to the rise of Gopala in the region of gauda and north-west Bengal where the later Guptas held sway. So it is likely that Gopala succeeded in establishing his empire in the northern and north-western part of Bengal. taranatha credits Gopala with the conquest of Magadha (southern Bihar). Gauda tantra referred to in Arya-Manjusrimulakalpa may be said to have included Magadha. So it is likely that southern Bihar was also included in the empire of Gopala.
The 4th verse of Khalimpur copperplate refers to Gopala's coming to power as follows: Matsyanyayam-apohitum prakrtibhir-laksmyah karangrahitah / Sri-Gopala iti ksitisa-sirasam chudamanis-tatsutah // (His son was the crest jewel of the heads of kings, the glorious Gopala, whom the prakrtis made take the hands of Laksmi, to put an end to matsyanyayam or lawlessness). Taranatha's account has an allegorical reference to a similar process of Gopala's accession to power. Scholars have taken the verse of the Khalimpur plate and the implication of Taranatha's account to mean that the people elected Gopala to the position of king. It is not possible to understand the true significance of the term prakrti, used in the above verse. This may mean 'subjects' or 'principal officers'. So it is difficult to determine the electors of Gopala. It can also be suggested that Gopala, a military adventurer succeeded in restoring peace and order by putting an end to the forces of lawlessness and popular support came his way after his initial success.
Election
After the death of the Gauda king Shashanka, a century of anarchy and confusion ensued in Bengal. This situation is described by the Sanskrit phrase matsya nyaya ("fish justice" i.e. a situation in which the big fish prey on the smaller ones). It was during these times that Gopala came to power around 750 CE. He was already a leading military general by that time.
The Khalimpur copper plate of Dharmapala alludes to Gopal's election in the following stanza:
“Matsyanyayam apakitum prakritibhir Lakshmiya karam grahitah Sri Gopala iti kshitisa-sirsam chudamani-tatsubha
To put an end to the state of affairs similar to what happens among fishes, the prakriti made the glorious Gopala, the crest jewel of the heads of kings, take the hand of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune.
”
The Sanskrit word prakriti is suggestive of "people" in general. The Tibetan Buddhist lama Taranatha (1575–1634), writing nearly 800 years later, also writes that he was democratically elected by the people of Bengal. However, his account is in form of a legend, and is considered historically unreliable. The legend mentions that after a period of anarchy, the people elected several kings in succession, all of whom were consumed by the Naga queen of an earlier king on the night following their election. Gopal, however managed to kill the queen and remained on the throne.
The historical evidence indicates that Gopala was not elected directly by his subjects, but by a group of feudal chieftains. Such elections were quite common in contemporary tribal societies of the region. The stanza in the Khalimpur copper plate is an eulogy, and uses the word prakriti figuratively.
Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different
Historians estimate Gopala's reign as follows:
HistorianEstimate of Gopala's reign
RC Majumdar (1971)750–770
AM Chowdhury (1967)756-781
BP Sinha (1977)755-783
DC Sircar (1975–76)750-775
Reign and legacy
According to Manjusrimulakalpa, Gopala died at the age of 80, after a reign of 27 years. Not much is known about his life or military career, but at the time of his death, Gopala had bequeathed a large kingdom to his son Dharmapala (770-810 CE). No records are available about the exact boundaries of Gopala's kingdom, but it might have included almost all of the Bengal region. His son and successor Dharmapala greatly expanded the kingdom, making it one of the most powerful empires in contemporary India.
Religion
A few sources written much after Gopala's death mention him as a Buddhist, but it is not known if this is true. Taranatha attests that Gopala was a staunch Buddhist and a major patron of Buddhism
Odantapuri (also called Odantapura or Uddandapura) was a Buddhist Mahavihara in what is now Bihar, India. It was established by the Pala Emperor Gopala I in the 8th century. It is considered the second oldest of India's Mahaviharas and was situated in Magadha.
Acharya Sri Ganga of Vikramashila was a student at this Mahavihara. According to the Tibetan records there were about 12,000 students at Odantapuri which was situated at a mountain called Hiranya Prabhat Parvat and by the bank of the river Panchanan.
Odantapuri University (Bihar) held a large library of millions of Hindu & Buddhist books. It too was destroyed by Khilji and a fortress was raised on the site of the university. The library on site was a 3 storied structure with beautiful courtyards & terracotta decorations.
In the modern era, it is situated in Bihar Sharif, headquarters of Nalanda district.
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