Dharmapala of Bengal
| Dharmapala | |
|---|---|
| Parameshvara Paramabhattaraka[1] Maharajadhiraja Vangapati | |
| Pala Emperor | |
| Reign | 770s - 810s A.D |
| Predecessor | Gopala |
| Successor | Devapala |
| Spouse | Rannadevi (Rashtrakuta princess) |
| Issue | Tribhuvanpala[2] Devapala |
| Dynasty | Pala |
| Father | Gopala |
| Mother | Deddadevi of the Bhadra dynasty |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Dharmapala (770s - 810s) was the second emperor of the Pala Empire (in the region of Bengal). He was the son and successor of Gopala, the founder of the Pala dynasty. He greatly expanded the boundaries of the empire and made the Palas a dominant power in the northern and eastern India.
Dharmapala directly ruled over the present-day Bengal and Bihar, and installed a nominee at Kannauj. The Pala chronicles also claim that several other rulers of North India acknowledged his suzerainty, but these claims seem to be exaggerated. Dharmapala was succeeded by his son Devapala who further expanded the empire.
Dharmapala was a great patron of Buddhism. He granted 200 villages to Nalanda university and revived it. He founded the Vikramashila monastery, which later evolved into a great learning centre of Buddhism. Vikramashila had about 100 professors and was managed by a governing body of six members.[3]
Dharmapala also built the great Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, Bangladesh. Taranatha also credits him with establishing 50 religious institutions and patronising the Buddhist author Haribhadra.[4] Buton Rinchen Drub credits Dharmapala with building the monastery at Uddandapura (Odantapuri), although other Tibetan accounts, such as that of Taranatha, state that it was magically built and then entrusted to Devapala.[5]:45
Notes
- ↑ History of Bengal, Volume I (1943), R. C. Majumder, page 113
- ↑ Ganguly, Dilip Kumar (1994). Ancient India, History and Archaeology. ISBN 9788170173045.
- ↑ History of Bihar, Prof.R.Choudhary,1958, p.117
- ↑ Sailendra Nath Sen (1999) [First published 1988]. Ancient Indian History and Civilization (2nd ed.). New Age International. pp. 278–279.
- ↑ Susan L. Huntington (1984). The "Påala-Sena" Schools of Sculpture. Brill.
Further reading
Dharmapala of Bengal, Wikipedia
