The Palas

Political History

• Pala dynasty ruled from 8th to 12th century CE in Bihar and Bengal
• Gauda ruler Sashanka was the first prominent king of ancient Bengal, after his fall, there was no central authority leading to recurring wars
• In 750 CE, a group of chiefs decided on Gopala I as their ruler, succeeded by his son Dharmapala
• Dharmapala established Vikramashila and Jagaddella, patronized Harisbhadra, a Buddhist writer, and controlled Kanyakubja with the title uttarapatha swamin (master of northern India)
• Devapala extended Pala control eastwards up to Kamarupa (Assam) and defeated Amoghavarsha, the Rashtrakuta ruler
• Other important rulers included Vigramapala, Rajyapala, Gopala III, and Vigramapala II, and the last ruler Madanapala was expelled by Vijayasena of the Sena dynasty

Language

Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali

Religion

Great patrons of Mahayana Buddhism, with Haribhadra as the spiritual preceptor of Dharmapala

Architecture

Various mahaviharas, Stupas, chaityas, temples, and forts constructed

First two hundred years dominated by Buddhist art, last two hundred years by Hindu art

Notable mahaviharas include Nalanda, Vikramashila, Somapura, Traikutaka, Devikota, Pandita, and Jagaddala vihara

Somapura mahavihara at Paharpur, a creation of Dharmapala, is one of the largest Buddhist vihara in the Indian subcontinent, and influenced the architecture of countries like Myanmar and Indonesia

Manuscripts on palm-leaf relating to Buddhist themes were written and illustrated with images of Buddhist deities, and workshops for casting bronze images were present

Painting

• Earliest examples of miniature painting in India exist in the form of illustrations to religious texts on Buddhism under the Palas of eastern India 
• Two forms of painting: manuscripts and wall painting
• Manuscripts depicted scenes of life of Buddha and several gods and goddesses of Mahayana sects, with visible impact of tantricism
• Red, blue, black, and white colors used as primary colors
• Pala painting is characterized by sinuous line, delicate and nervous lines, sensuous elegance, linear and decorative accent, and subdued tones of color
• Wall painting found in Saradh and Sarai sthal in Nalanda district, depicting flowers of geometric shapes, images of animals, and humans

Sculpture

• Gupta tradition of sculptural art attained a new height under the patronage of Pala rulers, incorporating local characteristics in Bengal under the Palas and continuing up to the end of 12th century
• Sculptures of stones and bronze constructed in large numbers, mostly in monastic sites of Nalanda and Bodh Gaya
• Inspiration drawn from Buddhism, with sculptures of gods and goddesses of Hindu Dharma like Surya, Vishnu, Ganesh, etc.
• Frontal parts of the body highly detailed and decorated, with slim and graceful figures, elaborate jewelry, and conventional decoration
• Free flowing movement and similar sizes in almost all figures, carved out of grayish or white spotted sandstone
• Bronze casting an important feature of Pala sculptures

Reasons for Sudden Ending

• Pala art ended suddenly after the destruction of Buddhist monasteries by Muslim invaders in the first half of the 13th century
• Some of the monks and artists escaped and fled to Nepal, which helped in reinforcing the existing art traditions there.
• Ramapala was the last strong Pala ruler. After his death, a rebellion broke out in Kamarupa during his son Kumarapala’s reign. So due to rebellions art was not focused much.