8 
SANDHYAKARA NANDI. 
Lausena. 
language of the work is not the language of Devapala’s time. It tries to create 
the world from void and evolve the phenomenal world from out of void. It is 
intensely Buddhistic in tone, but there is no secret worship and mysticism about it. 
Lausena was the favourite of the god Dharma, and though his maternal uncle 
Mahamada, the prime-minister of Devapala, tried several 
times to take his life, Lausena invariably thwarted 
him by the grace of Dharma, whose messenger to his favourite was Hanuman. 
Lausena is said to have conquered Kamarupa and Kalinga countries for Devapala. 
Devapala had a son named Rajyapala who was charged with giving effect to the 
grant made by Devapala from Mungir. But we do not hear anything of Rajyapala. 
Devapala’s cousin was Jayapala, who was very loyal to the king. Jayapala was a 
warrior and led several expeditions to Orissa and Kamarupa. 1 Though Buddhist, he 
performed his father’s funeral ceremony according to Hindu rites, and Umapati, a 
very learned Brahmana of Kanjivilvi, got the mahadana in this ceremony. 2 
Jayapala’s son Surapala or Vigrahapala succeeded Devapala on the throne. In 
his time the territory of the Pala empire was much 
Vigrahapala — his wars. . r ,, , , „ 
circumscribed in the west, as from 044 and onwards all 
the Parihara Gurjjara grants were issued from Kanauj , and that city seems to have 
been made the capital of the Gurjjara empire. But the Buddal pillar inscription 
found in the district of Rungpur, of Gurava Misra, the minister to his son Narayana- 
pala, speaks of his having wars with Utkalas, Hunas, Dravidas and Gurjjaras. 
Utkala was at this time passing through a revolution. The Somavamsis of that 
country were oppressing the Brahmanas, so the Brahmanas were anxious to overthrow 
them 3 and bringing in the Kesari dynasty ; and as a neighbouring king of great power, 
under the influence of Brahmanas, Vigrahapala could not sit idled 
The Hunas were often mentioned in the history of this period as occupying 
some portion of Central India. They seem to have established themselves somewhere 
in Malwa and Bundelkhand, as they were constantly at war with the Paramaras, 
Pratiharas and others. As their country bordered on the Pala empire they often 
came in conflict with it. 
The Codas were at this time a rising power in the south , and they were always 
aggressive. They might have invaded the Pala empire. 
The Gurjjaras were now firmly established at Kanauj, and being of restless habits 
they often came into hostile contact with the Palas. So the statement in the Buddal 
pillar inscription that Vigrahapala long ruled the sea-girt earth, having eradicated the 
race of Utkalas, humbled the pride of the Hunas and scattered the conceit of the 
rulers of Dravidas and Gurjjaras, seems to be justifiable. 
The family of the writer of the Buddal pillar inscription were the hereditary minis- 
ters to the Pala dynasty. They belonged to the Sandilya 
Hereditary Brahman ministers. ^ ^ yery learned ^ the Sastras . Garga wag 
the minister of Dharmapala, and he boasted that his niti made Dharma the lord of the 
1 Ind, Ant., vol. xv, p. 304. 
S My third Report, p. 10 
2 I.O. Cat., vol. i, pp. 92 93. 
t Buddal pillar Inscription, Epi. Ind., vol. ii, p. 164. 
