76 R. D. BANERJI ON 



The conquest of Northern Bengal must have taken place some years earlier. In 

 his ninth year Mahipala granted the village of Kuratapallika, with the exception of 

 Cutapallika, in the Gokalika mandala, Kotivarsa visaya of the Paundravarddhana 

 bhukli to a Brahmana named Krsnadityasarman. It has been proved by another 

 inscription, the Manahali grant of Madanapala, that the Kotivarsa visaya was 

 situated in Northern Bengal, as both inscriptions have been discovered in the Dinaj- 

 pur district. 1 An inscription incised on the pedestal of a colossal image of Bud- 

 dha, still in situ, at Tetrawan, an ancient site six miles from Bihar in the Patna 

 District of Bengal, contains the name of Mahipala, the rest having become illegible. % 

 Most probably it was dedicated during the reign of Mahipaladeva. The images 

 discovered at Imadpur in the Muzaffarpur district of Bengal in 1881 were most pro- 

 bably dedicated in the 48th year of Mahipala I, 3 as Mahipala II had a very short 

 reign. The 48th year of Mahipala I must have fallen before 1020 a.d., as in that 

 year the Cedi Emperor Gahgeyadeva was in possession of Tirabhukti or Tirhut. The 

 last inscription of Mahipala is the Sarnath inscription of the Vikrama year 1083. 

 This inscription was either posthumous, or incised when the city of Benares had passed 

 from the hands of the Polas to those of the Cedis. The repair of the Wheel of I,aw 

 and the building of the temple seem to have begun some time before and the work 

 was completed either after Mahipala 's death or in his last year, when he had lost 

 Benares and Tirhut. Mahipala was succeeded by his son Nayapala, called Nyayapala 

 by Mahamahopadhyaya Hara Prasada Sastri, on some unknown authority. His minis- 

 ter's name was Vamanabhatta, who is the Dutaka of the Bangarh grant of this king 

 called the Dinajpur grant by Dr. Kielhorn. 



Nayapala succeeded the throne of the Palas some time between 1025 — 30 a.d. 

 At that time the extent of the Pala Empire had been considerably diminished by the 

 loss of Benares and Tirabhukti. Gahgeyadeva was succeeded by his son Karna, 



who with the help of some Southerners overran the whole 

 Nayapala Ace. 1025-30 of Nort hern India. The Nagpur prasasti of Udayaditya of 



Malava speaks of him as one who, joined by the Karna takas, 

 had swept over the earth like a mighty ocean : — 



Tasmin = vasava-vandhutam = up agate rajye ca kuly = akule 

 M agnasvamini tasya vandhur= Udayadityo-bhavad-bhupatih 



Yt'n = oddhritya maharnnav = opama-milat = Karnnata-Karnna-prabhum = urvvipa- 

 lakadarthitam bhuvam = imdm £rimad-V arahayitam — verse 32/ 



According to the Bheraghat inscription of Alhanadevi, we find:— 



Pa 11 dyas- = ca n dimatam = mumoca Muralas = tatyaja garvva-graham 



Kungah sadgatim = ajagama cakape Vangah Kalingaih saha, 



Kira Kiravadasa panjaragrhe Hwiah praharsam jahau 



Yasmin^rajani Saury a-Mbhrama bharam vibhvaty-apurvva-prabhe— verse 12. 6 



1 ibid , 1893, P t. 1, P . 77- 2 Arch - Surv - Re P-' VoL m ' p - I23 ' 



^ Ind. Ant., Vol. XIV, p. 105, note 17. + Epi. Ind , Vol. II, p. 185. 



& Ibid., p. 11. 



