Devapala (Pala dynasty)

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Devapala
Pala Emperor
Tenure9th century
PredecessorDharamapala
SuccessorMahendrapala
SpouseMahata Devi, daughter of Durlabharaja I of Chahamana dynasty
IssueRajyapala
Mahendrapala
Shurapala I
DynastyPala
FatherDharamapala
MotherRannadevi
ReligionBuddhism

Devapala (Bengali: দেবপাল) (9th century) was the most powerful ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian Subcontinent. He was the third king in the line, and had succeeded his father Dharamapala. Devapala expanded the frontiers of the empire by conquering the present-day Assam and Orissa.[1] The Pala inscriptions also credit him with several other victories, but these claims are thought to be exaggerated.

Reign

Devapala was the third king in the line, and had succeeded his father Dharamapala.[2] His mother was Rannadevi, a Rashtrakuta princess.[3]: 178  Earlier historians considered Devapala as a nephew of Dharmapala, based on the Bhagalpur copper plate of Narayanapala, which mentions Devapala as Jayapala's purvajabhrata (interpreted as "elder brother"). Jayapala is mentioned as the son of Dharmapala's brother Vakpala in multiple Pala inscriptions. However, the discovery of the Munger (Monghyr) copper inscription changed this view. This particular inscription clearly describes Devapala as the son of Dharmapala.[4]

Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different historians estimate Devapala's reign as follows:[5]: 32–37 

Historian Estimate of reign
RC Majumdar (1971) 810-c. 850
AM Chowdhury (1967) 821–861
BP Sinha (1977) 820–860
DC Sircar (1975–76) 812–850

Military career

The highly exaggerated[6] Badal Pillar inscription of a later Pala king Narayanapala states that Devpala's empire extended up to the Vindhyas, the Himalayas, and the two oceans (presumably the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal). It also claims that Devapala exterminated the Utkalas (present-day Orissa), conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam), shattered the pride of the Hunas, humbled the lords of Gurjara and the Dravidas.[7][8] These claims are exaggerated, but cannot be dismissed entirely: the neighbouring kingdoms of Rashtrakutas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas were weak at the time, and may have been subdued by Devapala.[3][9]

Conquests in Eastern India

See also: Pala Invasion of Odisha

Devapala launched military campaigns under his cousin and his general Jayapala, who was the son of Dharmapala's younger brother Vakpala.[10] These expeditions resulted in the invasion of Pragjyotisha (present-day Assam) where the king submitted without giving a fight and Utkala (present-day Odisha) whose ruler fled from his capital city.[11]

Conquests in Northern India

The "Gurjaras" in the inscription refers to the Gurjara-Pratiharas led by Mihira Bhoja. The Hunas probably refers to a principality in North-West India.[12]

Conquests in Southern India

"Dravida" is generally believed to be a reference to the Rashtrakutas (led by Amoghavarsha), but RC Majumdar believes that it may refer to the Pandyan king Sri Mara Sri Vallabha. However, there is no definitive record of any expedition of Devapala to the extreme south. In any case, his victory in the south could only have been a temporary one, and his dominion lay mainly in the north.[13]

War with Kambhojas

According to the Monghyr copper plate of Devapāla, his army reached the Vindhyas and Kamboja. However, the location of Kambhoja cannot be easily determined, though it may have existed in the northwest (Afghanistan). Regardless, it is unlikely that his conquest extended that far.[3] Viradeva, who was appointed as the abbott of Nalanda by Devapāla, is believed to be a native of Nagarahara ( a city in Afghanistan which is modern-day Jalalabad ). This may support the possibility that Devapāla's conquests extended to Afghanistan.[13] Based on the connection between Viradeva, the abbot of Nalanda who was appointed by Devapāla, and Afghanistan, some scholars have speculated that Devapāla may have led a military expedition to present-day Afghanistan during which he met Viradeva.[14]

Conflict with Tibetans

Main article: Pala Tibetan War

The Monghyr Copper Plate Grant appears to allude to Devapāla's victory in the Punjab region in its epigraphic statement. However, it's worth noting that this may be a reference to the ruler's invasion of a Tibetan principality instead.[15]

Devapāla's inscriptions boast of his conquests extending all the way up to the Himalayas.[15][16] Devapāla engaged in a clash with the Nepali monarch, who was most likely subservient to the Tibetan king at the time.[16]

Religious leanings

Devapala was a staunch sponsor of Buddhism, and approved the construction of many temples and monasteries in Magadha.[17] He maintained the famous Buddhist monastery at Uddandapura (Odantapuri). Buton Rinchen Drub credits his father Dharmapala for building the monastery, although other Tibetan accounts such as that of Taranatha, state that it was magically built and then entrusted to Devapala.[5]: 45 

Balaputradeva, the Sailendra king of Java, sent an ambassador to him, asking for a grant of five villages for the construction of a monastery at Nalanda. The request was granted by Devapala.[13] He also patronized the Vikramashila University and the Nalanda University.

Buddhist scholar Vajradatta (the author of Lokesvarashataka), was the court poet of Devapala.[13][1]

Successor

Devapala ruled for about 40 years. His oldest son probably was the Crown Prince(Yuvaraja) Rajyapala. However, he probably died before his father. Earlier, the historians believed his successor to be Shurapala I and/or Vigrahapala I.[5]: 32–37  In the 2000s, a copper-plate grant was discovered at Jagjivanpur: this plate mentions that a hitherto unknown Pala king, Mahendrapala, had issued the grant in 854 CE.[18] Mahendrapala was the son of Devapala and brother of Shurapala I. Both Mahendrapala and Shurapala I were born to Queen Mahata.[19]

In popular culture

Devapala's exploits -- both verified and legendary -- inspired the Bengali campaign in Dynasties of India, the 2022 expansion pack for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

See also

Preceded by Pala Emperor
9th century 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ a b Dahiya, Poonam Dalal (2017). Ancient and Medieval India. McGraw-Hill Education. p. 413. ISBN 978-93-5260-673-3.
  2. ^ History and Culture of Indian People, The Age of Imperial Kanauj, 1964, p. 50, R. C. Majumdar, A. D. Pusalkar
  3. ^ a b c Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications. p. 185. ISBN 978-81-7017-059-4. [p. 178] Dharmapāla's wife was Raṇṇādevī daughter of Parabala, the ornament of the Rāshṭrakūṭa race. Devapāla was their son.
  4. ^ Dilip Kumar Ganguly (1994). Ancient India, History and Archaeology. Abhinav Publications. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-81-7017-304-5.
  5. ^ a b c Susan L. Huntington (1984). The "Påala-Sena" Schools of Sculpture. Brill. ISBN 90-04-06856-2.
  6. ^ Nitish K. Sengupta (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books India. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-0-14-341678-4.
  7. ^ History and Culture of Indian People, The Age of Imperial Kanauj, 1964, p. 50, 55, 56, R. C. Majumdar, A. D. Pusalkar.
  8. ^ Badal Pillar Inscription, verse 5, Epigraphia Indica, II p 160.
  9. ^ Sailendra Nath Sen (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 20. ISBN 978-93-80607-34-4.
  10. ^ Badal Pillar Inscription, verse 13, Epigraphia Indica II, p 160; Bhagalpur Charter of Narayanapala, year 17, verse 6, The Indian Antiquary, XV p 304.
  11. ^ Bhagalpur Charter of Narayanapala, year 17, verse 6, Indian Antiquary, XV p 304.
  12. ^ Ronald M. Davidson (2004) [First published 2002]. Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-81-208-1991-7.
  13. ^ a b c d Sailendra Nath Sen (1999) [First published 1988]. Ancient Indian History and Civilization (2nd ed.). New Age International. pp. 280–. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
  14. ^ H. C. Kar. (1980). Military History of India. Calcutta: Firma KLM. p. 88. OCLC 558393347.
  15. ^ a b Ganguly, Dilip Kumar (1994). Ancient India, History and Archaeology. Abhinav Publications. p. 47. ISBN 978-81-7017-304-5.
  16. ^ a b Seminar, Arunāchal Pradesh (India) Directorate of Research Silver Jubliee (1978). Research in Arunachal, 1951-1976: Proceedings of the Silver Jubilee Seminar, with Supplement. The Directorate. p. 35.
  17. ^ V. D. Mahajan (1970) [First published 1960]. Ancient India. p. 570. OCLC 1000593117.
  18. ^ Bengal museum to reconstruct excavated Buddhist site
  19. ^ Dimensions of Human Cultures in Central India: Professor S.K. Tiwari Felicitation Volume. Sarup & Sons. 2001. p. 239. ISBN 978-81-7625-186-0.
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