History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.60

v1.c14.60

The coins found belong to and mention kings Spalapati Deva, Sāmanta Deva, Kharmarayaka and Bhīmadeva and these coins are assigned by Cunningham properly enough to Kallara, Sāmanta, Kamalu, and Bhima, mentioned in succession by Alberuni in the Brahmin dynasty. We may also add that in the Taranginī we find the names of Lalliya for the first, Kamaluka for the third (alias Toramāna) and Bhīma. No coins are found of Jaipala, Ānandapala and Trilochanapāla. Cunningham surmises that these Pālas formed a different dynasty and belonged to the old Turkish Rajput dynasty supplanted by Lalliya. But this would be against the evidence of Alberuni who living about the same time as Trilochanapāla must certainly have known the fact. He calls them all of the same Brahmin dynasty. Deva is certainly indicative of a Brahmin; but it may mean king also. And as we have said before, Brahmin kingly dynasties of those days by marriage with Kshātriya princesses became in time Kshatriyas to all practical purposes. The name-ending Pāla is not therefore strange and need not indicate a second dynasty. A third guess made by Cunningham from the Jhūsi copperplate is also not well founded. For this grant inscription (Ind. Ant. Vol. XVIII) on inspection will show that it does not belong to Trilochanapāla of Kabul at all. There the Shahi dynasty is not mentioned. The copperplate again has been found at Allahabad and belongs to that province. The father of Trilochana is further given as Rājyapāla and the grand father Vijayapāla. It grants a village near Allahabad probably to all Brahmins at Pratisthāna, a thing which Trilochana of Kabul could scarcely do. And lastly the grant is dated 1027 A. D. when Trilochana was no longer a king and when probably he was not even alive. This Trilochana of the Jhūsi grant is plainly and entirely a different person, the names Pāla and Trilochana being very common all over Northern India. We do not think the Shahi dynasty as kingly dynasty survived Trilochana as it was extinguished with him in about 1021 A. D.