Vigrahapala II (ruled est. 966 – 978 CE) was the successor to the Pala king Gopala III in 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 physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, and tenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for at least 12 years. He was succeeded by the famed

Mahipala Mahipala (or Mahipala I; ) was a notable king of the Pala dynasty, which ruled over much of the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent between the 8th and 12th centuries. He was the son and successor of Vigrahapala II. Mahipala's reign mark ...

Reign

During his reign, the Pala Empire was reduced to Bihar and North Bengal. From the east of Bengal, the

Chandra Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) an ...

king,

Kalyanachandra Kalyanachandra (reigned c. 975 – 1000) was the third ruler of the Chandra dynasty in eastern Bengal. His campaign against the Kamboja dynasty of northern Bengal allowed the resurgent Pala Emperor Mahipala I to reclaim much of the Pala Empire. H ...

conquered the Kamboja capital in Gauda as well as

Kamarupa Kamarupa (; also called Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa), an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was (along with Davaka) the first historical kingdom of Assam. Though Kamarupa prevailed from 350 to 11 ...

, although Vigrahapala was able to maintain his control over eastern and southern Bihar and Northern Bengal. These conquests were a fatal blow which severely weakened the

Pala Empire The Pāla Empire (r. 750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffi ...

, laying the groundwork for the Pala resurgence under his successor,

References

Year of birth missing 978 deaths Pala kings {{India-royal-stub

Reign

See also

References