RAMACARITA. 
9 
world. The Palas were shrewd enough to find that a purely Buddhist regime was 
impossible in their days when Buddhism was declining and Brahminism was rising 
into power in every quarter, and so they always tried to prop their empire by enlist- 
ing the power of the Brahmanas on their side. 
Garga’s son Darbhapani was the minister of Devapala. He was greatly respected 
by the king for his learning and his Niti. Kedara Misra, the grandson of the latter, 
was the minister of Vigrahapala, called Surapala, in the Buddal pillar inscription. 
The king attended his vedic sacrifices. Kedara married Babba whose father lived at 
Devagrama in the Nadia district. So at that time the Radhiya and Varendra 
Brahmanas were not so exclusive as they are at present. 1 
Vigrahapala is the only king of the Pala dynasty whose coins come down to us. 
There are obscure hints that Mahipala too coined. The 
currency in East India was cowries. The only coin was 
dramma or drachma. The people used dramma even in Dharmapala’s time. 
Vigrahapala married Eajja, a princess of the Haihaya or Cedi race, who, establish- 
ing themselves at Tripuri at the sources of the Narmada, were at this time making 
conquests in all directions. 
By this queen he had a son named Narayanapala who succeeded him. His 
minister was Gurava Misra otherwise called Rama, a 
Narayana Pala. . 
good speaker and a great astronomer. This Gurava 
Misra was the Dutaka for the execution of a grant of land made by Narayanapala 
from Munger at the Tirabhukti-visaya to the Pasupatas, the worshippers of Siva for 
whom the king had himself erected thousand temples. 2 
A Hindu monastery was built by Bhandadeva in the seventh year of Narayanapala. 
This king was celebrated for the dispensation of even-handed justice to his subjects. 
His son Rajyapala ruled the kingdom for some time and excavated many large 
tanks and built many temples of a towering height. 
He married Bhagyadevi, the daughter of Tunga, a prince 
race. His son was Gopal for whom we have got two small 
inscriptions — one at Budhgaya and the other at Nalanda, 
one on an image of Buddha and the other on an image of 
Rajyapala. 
of the Rastrakuta 
Gopal IT. 
Vagisvarl. 2 
Vigrahapala II. 
Arts. 
Gopala’s son was Vigrahapala II, who was noted for 
his munificence, and for his knowledge and patronage of 
Mahipala — Sarnath inscription. 
The next king was Mahipala, a son of Gopala, the last king. Mahipala reigned 
during the first part of the nth century. In 1026 A.D. 
he deputed two brothers, Sthirapala and Basantapala, 
supposed to be his sons, to Benares to repair Dhamek or the huge stupa which still 
stands at Saranatha, and also to repair the Dharmacakra, i.e., the Dharmacakra where 
Buddha preached for the first time, and to construct a Gandhakuti or temple of 
l Ind. Ant., vol. xv, pp. 304 — 310. 
J.A.S.B. (N.S.). vol. iv, pp. 102 — 105. 
