RAMACARITA. 
15 
His Council. 
city was planted with many gardens, and many large tanks were excavated in it, and 
market places there contained (merchandise from various quarters of the earth. The 
king himself excavated a tank as large as an ocean, with sides as high as chains 
of mountains on the seaside. An eastern potentate propitiated him with large 
elephants, chariots, and armour, for extending his protection to him. He conquered 
Utkala and restored it to the Nagavamsis ; and so he ruled all the countries down to 
Kalinga. Mayana conquered Kamarupa and other countries for the king. 
Ramapala tried to surround himself by men eminent in science and literature. 
His prime-minister was Bodhideva, the son of Yogadeva, 
the hereditary prime-minister of the Pala family. His 
war minister was Prajapati Nandi, the father of Sandhyakara Nandi, the author of 
the Ramacarita, a Brahmana of Varendra distribution in Bengal. Sandhyakara 
had the rare advantage of the position of his father to know fully and minutely the 
military strength of the Pala empire. His book is, therefore, of a great value as a 
record of the contemporary history of the later Palas. 
His chief medical officer was Bhadresvara, both a physician and a poet. The 
grandfather of Bhadresvara, Devagana by name, was the court physician of that 
Govinda Candra, contemporary of Mahipala and Rajendra Coda, so well known in 
Bengali songs. Bhadresvara’ s son was Suresvara, the author of a Sanskrit dictionary 
of medical botany, who served under a king named Bhima Pala, the ruler of Padi, 
perhaps the same Bhima who wrested northern Bengal from the Palas for a 
time. 
Ramapala lived at Ramavati, leaving the cares of his government to his 
son. The country prospered greatly, and he was never 
The Death of Ramapala. . , , , , ,, 
disturbed by wicked people. Rajyapala governed the 
kingdom with wisdom and tact, which much pleased his father Ramapala. Just 
at this time, Mathana, his friend, died. When residing at Hunger, the king heard 
of his death, distributed much wealth to Brahma nas and entered the sacred river 
with a view to proceed to heaven. 
On his death, his enemies became very jubilant. But Kumarapala, his son, put 
them down. 
All except north Bengal revolted, but Vaidya Deva, his minister, with a strong 
navy restored peace to the whole empire ; when Kumara- 
pala was anxious to reward the merit of this useful 
minister, news was received that Tigmadeva, the king of 
Kamarupa, was meditating independence. He at once appointed Vaidya Deva the 
king of Kamrupa, and sent him with a strong army to dethrone Tigmadeva. 
Vaidya Deva easily overthrew the king and took his place. 1 
Kumarapala died shortly after, and Gopal III his son, too, after a short reign 
breathed his last. Madanapala, the second son of 
Ramapala, now became king; the short reigns of the 
Vaidyadeva — his 
General. 
successor s 
Gopala III. 
l Epigraphia Indica, vol. ii, p. 347. 
