Shurapala I (also spelt Surapala) was a 9th-century ruler of the

Pala Empire The Pāla Empire was the empire ruled by the Pala dynasty, ("protector" in Sanskrit) a medieval Indian dynasty which ruled the kingdom of Gauda Kingdom, Gauda. The empire was founded with the election of Gopala, Gopāla by the chiefs of Kingdo ...

, in the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

region of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. He was the fifth Pala emperor. He ruled for at least 12 years.

Ancestry

Previously, the historians believed that Shurapala and Vigrahapala were the two names of the same person. However, the discovery of a copper plate in 1970 in the Mirzapur district conclusively established that these two were cousins. They either ruled simultaneously (perhaps over different territories) or in rapid succession. If they ruled in succession, it seems more likely that Shurapala preceded Vigrahapala, since Vigrahapala I and his descendants ruled in unbroken succession. Vigrahapala either dethroned Shurapala, or replaced him peacefully in absence of any direct heir to the throne. Earlier, it was believed that Shurapala and Vigrahapala succeeded Devapala. However, the discovery of a copper plate charter at

Jagjivanpur Jagajjibanpur or Jagajivanpur (in Bengali language, 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 e ...

indicates that Shurapala was preceded by

Mahendrapala Mahendrapala (r. c. 839–854) was the fourth king of the Pala empire, Pala dynasty of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. He was the son of Devapala (Pala dynasty), Devapala and his queen Mahata. Reign Mahendrapala has been mentioned ...

. Both were sons of Devapala and his queen Mahata. According to the Jagjivanpur inscription Shurapala I was Mahendrapala's younger brother and royal envoy.

Reign

Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different historians estimate Shurapala's reign as follows:

References

{{s-end Pala emperors Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown