History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c34.s6.18

v3.c34.s6.18

Rāmapāla was succeeded in 1130 by his son Kumārapāla referred to above in E. I. II and he was succeeded by his son Gopāla III in 1136 A. D. Nothing particular is found recorded of them and the name of the last has only been known recently from a record of Madanapāla (his uncle) who succeeded him in about 1140 A. D. A copperplate grant of his has been found and published in J. R. A. S. Bengal IXIX part I (p. 66) which makes the interesting statement that the village was granted as Dakshinā to a Brahmin for reading the whole Mahābhārata to his queen Chitramatikā; which shows that the king though a Buddhist was favourably inclined towards Brahmins and that his queen was a Hindu who heard the whole Mahābhārata recited to her by a Brahmin. We find that these Pāla grants are usually made in the Paundravardhana Bhukti or Varendra i.e. North Bengal where Sena grants are also made. The Sena kings enjoyed power chiefly in Eastern Bengal and probably divided power in Northern Bengal, West Bengal and Magadha with Bihar being probably under the Pālas. We do not know much of the political events in Madanapāla’s days, but it is probable that the power of the Pālas must have declined in his time. Madanapāla was succeeded by his son Govindapāla in 1161 A. D. definitely, as an inscription in V. S. 1232 in the 14th year of his reign has been found (Smith’s list J. A. 1909 No. 30). He was succeeded by a king named Mahindrapāla mentioned in inscriptions, the last one found being dated 1193 A. D. He is identified with the king Indradyumna of local tradition who is said to have been destroyed by the Mahomedan invader Mahammad Bakhtyar Khilji.