The Palas of Bengal. 



By R. D. Banerji, M.A., Indian Museum, Calcutta. 

 [With Plates XXIV— XXXII, XXXVI— XXXVIII. ] 



CHAPTER I. 

 Introduction. 



After the death of Harsavarddhana, nothing is definitely known about the his- 

 tory of Bengal and Bihar, till the rise of the Palas. In fact the only definite date 

 after the death of Harsavarddhana, is the year 66, of the Harsa era, on the Shahpur 

 image of Suryya. 1 We know from the Aphsad inscription of Adityasena, that 

 Madhavagupta was the contemporary of Harsa, 1 and that Adityasena succeeded in 



making himself independent in Magadha. The Deo-Banarak 

 e up as o . aga a. i nscr iption of Jivitagupta II carries the genealogy of the 

 family for three generations further. These princes Devagupta, Visnugupta and 

 Jivitagupta II continued to assume Imperial titles, though most probably their 

 possessions were insignificant. The dynasty came to an end with the last-named 

 prince, Jivitagupta II. 



The exact circumstances which led to the fall of this ancient dynasty are not 

 known, but it seems certain that the event took place in troublesome times. Bengal 

 was run over by Yasovarmmadeva of Kanauj during the first two decades of the 

 eighth century a.d.' Most probably Jivitagupta II was the king who was over- 

 thrown by this invasion. Adityasena's only definite date is 

 671 a.d., and this gives us about 40 or 50 years for four 

 generations, which is certainly not too much. We do not know anything about 

 the successors of Jivitagupta II, but we know of several other foreign invasions of 

 Bengal about the same time from contemporary records. The invasion from Kanauj 



was followed by one from Assam. The King Harsadeva 

 conquered Bengal, Orissa and the Northern Sarkars (Gaud= 

 Odr = adi-Kalinga-Kos'ala-pati) . As his grandson, Jayadeva, the Licchavi, was reign- 

 ing in the sixth decade of the eighth century a.d., + the date of his maternal grand- 

 father must be placed some time earlier. Most probably this invasion from Assam 

 closely followed upon the heels of that from Kanauj, or we may one day be sur- 

 prised to learn that both armies invaded Bengal jointly. Harsadeva must have 

 held Bengal for a sufficiently long time, so as to enable him to pass through that 

 country and conquer Odra (Orissa) Kalinga (Northern Sarkars), and Kosala (Orissa 

 Hill Tracts). The Gauda-vaho and the Rajatarangini has familiarized us with the 



1 Fleet's Gupta Inscriptions, Vol. Ill, pp. 209-10. 2 Ibid., p. 207, 



a J.R.A.S., 1908, p. 76. * Ind. Ant., Vol. IX, p. 178. 



