THE PALAS OF BENGAL. 91 



crossed the Ganges by a ' Nauka-melaka' ', which has been interpreted by Mahamaho- 

 padhyaya Hara Prasada Sastri as ' ' a bridge of boats." The commentary on the work 



does not specify the place where the battle took place, but 



The campaign, a bridge of ... ., , . , - , , , , _,. . ' , 



boats on the Ganges. lt: 1S q m t e certain that the contending armies met somewhere 



in the south-western part of the modern District of Raj- 

 shahi. or the southern part cf the Maldah District. According to the commentary 

 on verse 16, Bhlma was captured alive during the battle, and the soldiers of Rama- 

 pala received a fresh impetus from the news. 2 The commentary on another verse 



states that Bhlma was captured on the back of an elephant.' 



The battle. Capture ot Bh[ ma ' s a rmy most probably dispersed on the capture of 

 Bh:ma on the back or an L J c r 



elephant. their leader, and Ramapala seems to have obtained an easy 



victory, which was followed by the sack of the town of 

 Damara, the capital of Bhlma. + The commentary on another verse states that 



Ramapala destroyed Damara, a small town. The adjective 

 The enem°^aStaf' ^ Upapura is no doubt applied slightingly because it happened 



to be the capital of the enemy. Bhlma remained a captive 

 and was placed in charge of a certain Vittapala. 5 The scattered forces of Bhlma 

 were rallied by one of his friends named Had. In the ensuing battle Ramapala' s son 

 contested every inch of ground and at last succeeded in defeating the Kaivarttas. 

 Hari was, at last, deprived of his forces, captured and executed with Bhlma. Damara 



seems to have continued its existence after its sack by 



Rebellion of Hari.. defeat, Ramapala and even to this day a village named Damara- 

 capture and execution '. _ ' , 



with Bhlma. nagara exists close to Ramapala s capital. In another 



verse, Ramapala is said to have taken into employ the 



soldiers of Bhlma. 6 Ramapala founded a city named RamavatI at the confluence of 



the Karatoya and the Ganges. 1 The site seems to have 



Foundation of a capital — , i.ir-r.- -i-u \ • c j^j- r 



RamavatI been selected for Ramapala by a chief named Candesvara of 



SrI-hetu (not Srlhatta) and one Ksemesvara. 8 The city 



was beautified within a very short time, and the author has devoted the best part of 



a chapter to its praise. The only feature, worth mentioning, is a Buddhist Vihara 



named Jagaddala-Mahavihara, which was built by Ramapala in the new city. It is 



interesting to note that there is a village named Jagaddala close to the ruins of 



RamavatI. RamavatI continued to be the capital of the Palas for seme time, and 



Madanapala's Manahali grant was issued from this place. 9 It continued to be a 



place of importance for several centuries. In the sixteenth century it gave its name 



to a fiscal division, and one of the circles in the Sirkar of Lakhnauti was named 



Ramauti I0 in Akbar's time. Ramauti is an exact transliteration of RamavatI as 



Lakhnauti is of Laksmanavall, and the identity of Ramauti with RamavatI has been 



made certain by the discoveries of Babu Haridas Palit in the Maldah District. This 



gentleman has industriously searched the environments of RamavatI and has traced 



1 L. C. Comm. on V. 10, p. 38. 2 Coram, on V. 16, L.C, p. 40. s Comm on V. 20, L.C. p. 41. 



* Comm. on V. 27, Chap. I, L.C, p. 27. & L.C, p. 14 ; V. 36, Ch. II, p 45. 6 v. 38 . Mem. A.S B., Vol. III. p. 46. 



• V. 10, Ch. Ill, L.C, p. 47. % V. 2, Ch. Ill, L.C. & J. A SB., 1900. pt. I. 



10 J R.A.S., 1894, Ain-i-Akbari, Bib. Ind., Vol. II, p. 131. 



