Mahendrapala (Bangla: মহেন্দ্রপাল) (r. c. 845–860) was the fourth king of the
Pala dynasty of the
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
region of the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. He was the son of
Devapala and his queen Mahata.
Reign
Mahendrapala has been mentioned in some Pala records, but earlier, the historians used to believe that these mentions referred to the
Gurjara-Pratihara
The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj.
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of th ...
king
Mahendrapala I
Mahendrapala I (885–910) was a ruler of Pratihara dynasty, the son of Mihir Bhoja I and queen ''Candra-Bhatta-Rika-Devi''. He was also mentioned on various inscriptions in Kathiawar, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh by names ''Mahindrapala'', '' ...
. However, the discovery of the
Jagjivanpur
Jagajjibanpur or Jagajivanpur (in Bengali: জগজ্জীবনপুর) is an archaeological site in Habibpur block of Malda district in West Bengal state in eastern India. This site is located at a distance of 41 km east from English Ba ...
copper plate charter issued by Mahendrapala made it clear that he was a distinct Pala emperor, who succeeded Devapala.
The charter, issued in the 7th year of Mahendrapala's reign (believed to be 854 CE), mentions the construction of a monastery at Nandadirghika Udranga by Mahendrapala's ''
mahasenapati'' ("great general") Vajradeva. The grant is dated in his 7th regnal year and issued from the Kuddalakhataka ''jayaskandhavara'' (the camp of victory).
Mahendrapala was succeeded by Shurapala I.
According to the Jagjivanpur inscription,
Shurapala I
Shurapala I (also spelt Surapala) was a 9th-century ruler of the Pala Empire, in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. He was the fifth Pala emperor. He ruled for at least 12 years.
Ancestry
Previously, the historians believed that Shur ...
was Mahendrapala's younger brother and royal envoy.
Mahendrapala appears to have retained the Pala control over Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. He possibly carried out further campaigns against the Hunas and the Utkalas, and passed his empire intact to his younger brother and successor,
Shurapala I
Shurapala I (also spelt Surapala) was a 9th-century ruler of the Pala Empire, in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. He was the fifth Pala emperor. He ruled for at least 12 years.
Ancestry
Previously, the historians believed that Shur ...
.
[Bhattacharya, Suresh Chandra, ''Pāla Kings in the Badal Praśasti — A Stock-Taking'', Journal of Ancient Indian History, University of Calcutta]
Vol. XXIV
2007-08, pp. 73-82.
See also
*
List of rulers of Bengal
This is a list of rulers of Bengal. For much of its history, Bengal was split up into several independent kingdoms, completely unifying only several times. In ancient times, Bengal consisted of the kingdoms of Pundra, Suhma, Vanga, Samatata a ...
References
854 deaths
Pala kings
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
{{India-royal-stub
Indian Buddhist monarchs