RAMACARITA. 
13 
Mahipala II. 
Sudraka, at this time, held a high office at Gaya ; and his son Visvarupa 
erected a beautiful temple in that city. The inscription on this temple was com- 
posed by Vaidya Vajrapani in the 15th year of Nayapala’s reign. (The inscription 
will soon be published by Babu R. D. Banerji). The reigns of Mahipala and Nyayapala 
form, so to say, one great period of progress and degeneration. They were not 
great warriors, nor were they great conquerors The military genius of Gangeya and 
Karna seems to have overshadowed them, and they devoted themselves to arts of peace. 
Nyayapala was succeeded by Vigrahapala III, who is best known to us by his 
. ^ Amgachi copper-plate grant 1 issued in the 13th year of 
his reign for propitiating lord Buddha. Karna Deva of 
Tripun was still the most formidable power in northern India. Within a short time 
of the accession of Vigrahapala, he came in conflict with Karna, who was very 
severely beaten. His kingdom ay at the mercy of Vigrahapala. But Vigrahapala 
spared both the king and his kingdom. Karna entered into a treaty with him, 
acknowledging his supremacy ; and Karna’ s daughter Yauvanasri was married to 
Vigrahapala. Vigrahapala had three sons — Mahipala, 
Surapala and Ramapala. Mahipala by his impolitic 
acts incurred the displeasure of his subjects. He put Ramapala and Surapala to 
prison bound in chains ; but they were rescued by their friends. The Kaivartas 
were a very powerful and warlike people in northern Bengal. Dibvoka was their 
chief. He had a brother named Rudoka. The Kaivartas were smarting under 
oppression of the king. Bhima, the son of Rudoka, taking advantage of the popular 
discontent, led his Kaivarta subjects to rebellion. Mahipala did not pay any heed 
to the cautious advice of his ministers, he hastily collected a large but ill- disciplined 
force, and advanced to meet the enemy. His force was routed. The soldiers fled 
in disorder and he was defeated and slain. The whole of northern Bengal, called 
Varendri in those days, fell into the hands of the Kaivartas. And Bhima built 
a Damara, a suburban city close to the capital of the Pala empire.' 2 
The Dinajpur inscription of Madanapala mentioned Surapala as the next king. 
_ But the Ramacarita is silent about him. We have, 
Surapala. , . . 
however, two identical inscriptions m the Indian 
Museum, dated in the 2nd year of Surapala, in which an old Buddhist monk 
Purnadasa cons'ecrates images of Buddha at Uddandapuri. 3 
Ramapala and his son Rajyapala travelled all over the empire and beyond it, 
collected together all his feudatories, and sent Sivaraja 
Ramapala — his wars. 
of the Ra.strakuta race, who was the commander of his 
palace guards, to reconnoitre the Varendra country. Sivaraja assured the people, 
Brahmanas and others, that their property would be respected. 
His Feudatories. His principal supporters were — 
(1) Bhimayasa, the Raja of Pithi in Magadha, who defeated the army of 
Kanyakubja. 
1 Ind. Ant., vol. xxi, p. 97. 2 Second chapter of Ramacarita. 3 J, and Proc. A.S.B., vol. iv, p. 108. 
