1878.] G. A. Grierson —The Song of Manik Chandra. 141 
about the year 1350 A. D. ; he certainly (i£ he ever existed, and if the 
djmasty lists are true) cannot have lived much before the commencement 
of the 14th century, i. e., before our English King Edward III. 
Abul-Fazl gives a list of ten Pala Kings quoted by Mr. Westma- 
cott; and they became extinct about the middle of the eleventh century 
thus leaving a space of 250 years to be accounted for. Hence it need not 
necessarily be determined that Dharma Raja was a member of the great 
family of Pala Kings. Buchanan suggests that he may have represented 
the remains of a family which survived the wreck of the dynasty, to save 
a portion of the kingdom which remained unconquered, by the successors of 
Adi Sura in Rangpur ; and the fact is not rendered less improbable when 
we consider the history of the Hadi Siddha, We know that the Pala 
kings were, when we first meet them, Buddhists and that subsequently 
some branches of the family changed their religion to some one or other 
of the many varying sects of Hinduism. If then Dharma Pala ruled in 
a country in which such a holy man was arch-priest, it is rather a 
confirmation than otherwise of this theory. I myself think it certain 
that Dharma Pala was a member, or descendant of the great Pala 
family, for Dr. Buchanan gives an illustration of an image found in his 
city, which contains the typical Pala emblem of an elephant borne down 
by a lion. (Fig. 2.) 
We thus I think can be certain of the following facts,—that early in 
the 14th century a king named Dharma Pala ruled over a small tract of 
country near the Karatoya river in the present districts of Rangpur and 
Jalpaiguri. That this Dharma Pala was a member of the great Pala 
family which once ruled over northern Bamga. That in his territory there 
was a saint of considerable sanctity, then living, who professed tenets bor¬ 
rowed possibly from Nipal. And that close to his capital city there lived 
in a fortified stronghold a powerful chief named Manik Chandra, who was 
married to a lady called Mayana. It may be gathered from local tradition 
that Mayana was an ambitious and designing woman, and that she acknow¬ 
ledged the saint above-named as her spiritual instructor. 
Between the king and the chief, according to local tradition, a war arose, 
which ended in the defeat and disappearance of the former, and triumph of 
the latter, in a great battle fought on the banks of the river Hangrigosha. 
The battle-field is still shown, a mile or so to the north of Dharmapur. 
Ma'nik Chandra. 
After this victory, Manik Chandra took up his residence at Dharma¬ 
pur, while the Lady Mayana remained at her old home Mayana Matir Jcot 
