Palas, Pratiharas, and Rashtrakutas

The period of 750-1000 AD witnessed the rise and fall of many powerful empires. And among them, The Palas, Pratiharas, and Rashtrakutas happened to be highly prominent. 

Gopala founded the Pala Dynasty in 750 AD, and he was also a chieftain but later turned into the King of Bengal. He is also acknowledged as the 1st Buddhist king who ruled Bengal. 

The Pratiharas or Gurjara-Pratiharas had their dynasty from 8th Century CE to 11^th Century CE, and they swayed over northern and western India. This dynasty witnessed the rise of its fortunes under Nagabhata I, and he was the one who defeated Arab invaders successfully. Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja was considered the most prevalent king of the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty.

The Rashtrakuta Empire was the one that lasted for the longest time, and it was also the most dominant. 

An Overview of the Palas

Gopala, the founder of the Pala dynasty, had formed his supremacy when the Gauda dynasty did lose its hold in Kamarupa. When Gauda died, he was exerting his control over a large portion of Bihar and Bengal. Gopala also constructed a monastery in Bihar. Dharmapala was the successor of Pala, who ruled from 770-810 AD. He hugely expanded the kingdom, and due to this, the Palas turned into the most influential kingdom in Eastern and Northern India at the time of his reign. 

Dharmapala fought an extended war against the Rashtrakutas and Gurjara-Pratiharas. In spite of his embarrassing defeat against the Gurjaras, Nagabhatta II, the Pratihara king managed to retrieve the self-importance of the Pala Empire. He also stretched his kingdom to Bihar and the whole of Bengal. 

Dharmapala was a religious Buddhist King, and he was also the founder of Vikramshila University, a well-known center for Buddhist studies. This university is situated at Kahalgaon in Bihar.

Devapala was the successor of Dharmapala, and he stretched his kingdom to Kamarupa, Odisha, and Assam. At the time of his reign, the armies of Pala did carry out a highly successful movement. After Devapala, several lesser-known kings ruled the kingdom, and then Mahipala turned into the king who ruled the Pala kingdom. He sat on the throne from 995 AD-1043AD. He is known as the 2^nd founder of the dynasty of Pala, and he managed to recover all the territories that the Pala Empire lost.

Those who succeeded Mahipala were weak, and so, they could not hold the empire strongly for a long time.

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The Titles of the Pala Kings

The Pala kings who ruled Kamarupa assumed some well-known titles, like paramadaivata paramabhattāraka mahārājādirāja, prāigjyotisādhipati, and sri-vārāha. You will get to know about the Pala dynasty’s work in the sculpture of Madan Kamdev. 

Pratiharas

Harichandra was the founder of the Gurjara-Pratiharas dynasty in the 6^th century AD. The Pratihara dynasty continued to remain influential till the eleventh century AD. It is believed that they originated from Ujjain. The first renowned ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty was Nagabhatta-I. He ruled from 730AD-756 AD, and his kingdom included Bharuch, Malwa, and Gwalior. The capital of his kingdom was Awani.

How did the Gurjara-Pratiharas Rise?

In 647 AD, Pushyabhuti Dynasty fell under Harshavardhana, and it resulted in confusion as well as political instability. Numerous kingdoms during this period rose and fell. Those who came forward to dominate were the Pratiharas. The Pratiharas became powerful in the late eighth century CE after they resisted the Arab invaders successfully. The origins of Gurjara-Pratiharas are considered a subject of debate. The Gurjaras are acknowledged as foreign people who merged into the Indian society or in the form of local people who were the residents of Gurjara. 

The Pratiharas is derived from the name “pratyahara”. They are viewed as a tribal group. In Ramayana, Prince Lakshmana once worked as Lord Rama’s doorkeeper. As Lakshmana was viewed as their antecedent, the Pratiharas did adopt this title. Different other families of Gurjara began as local officials and finally set up little principalities to the east and south of Jodhpur in today’s Rajasthan state.

During the latter part of the 8th century, the Pratiharas became hugely successful, and they resisted the invaders of Arabs. Besides inscriptions, the monuments and sculptures that were formed at the time of this reign offer important proof of their rule and times. The chief literary sources comprise the Arab merchants’ accounts of who visited India during this period. One notable name is Suleiman, who visited India during the 9th century CE. 

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Brief Introduction of Rashtrakutas

The mother tongue of Rashtrakutas is Kannada, and they had a Kannada origin. Dantidurga was the founder of the dynasty of Rashtrakuta during the 8th century AD. He was instrumental in forming Rashtrakutas in the form of a paramount power. Dantidurga captured Malwa after defeating them. He was also the one who defeated Kirtivarman II and also annexed the kingdom of Chalukya. 

Krishna I was his successor, and he was also an extraordinary builder of an empire. Krishna, I got many victories against the Chalukyas of Vengi. He was popular for developing the rock-cut monumental Kalisa temple. Govinda III was his successor, and Amoghavarsha I was the successor of Govinda III. The reign of Amoghavarsha I was well-known because of some major cultural development that took place during this time. He followed Jainism and also wrote Kavirajamarga in the Kannada language. Amoghavarsha I was also the one who designed Manyakheda or Malkhed, the Rashtrakuta capital.

Krishna III was the successor of Amoghavarsha, and he was popular for his various victorious operations against his neighboring states. He also defeated the Cholas. He also captured Rameshwaram and Tanjore and built many temples that including the Krishneswara temple located at Rameswaram. After his death, the Rashtrakutas’ power declined.

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Rise of the Rashtrakutas Dynasty

Originally, the Rashtrakutas were considered to be the feudatories, and though Rashtrakutas happened to be early rulers, Dandidurga was the greatest ruler of this dynasty. Dandidurga ruled from a smaller portion of Berar, and he developed his journey of territorial conquest when Vikramaditya II died. He captured the kingdom of Gurjara of Malwa, Nandipuri, the entire Berar, and the eastern Madhya Pradesh.

By 750 CE, Dandidurga turned into the master of southern and central Gujarat besides Berar and the entire Madhya Pradesh. After he consolidated his position and defeated Kirthivarman II, the last ruler of Chalukya of Vatapi, Dandidurga assumed some titles, like Parameshwara Pramabhattaraha, and Maharajadhiraja. He also formed relationships with Nandivarman II, the Pallava ruler, as his daughter married the Pallava king. When Dandidurga died in 758 CE, Krishna I, his uncle, ascended the throne.

Some Unknown Facts About the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas

• There aren’t any remnants of Hindu temples that were present in the Pala period. However, some portions of pillars and door frames that were utilised in temples have been discovered. On their basis, it can be concluded that during that period, temple architecture was formed.

• The Palas follow the Tantric and Mahayana schools of Buddhism. They habitually intermarried with the Gahadavalas. They formed many works of art and temples, and they were the supporters of Vikramashila and Nalanda Universities. 

• Pratiharas Rajputs were named Gurjara Naresh. Gurjara is a geographical area that comprises present-day northern Gujarat and Southern Rajasthan. The dynasty of Rajput Pratihara traced its origins to Lakshmana, Lord Rama’s younger brother.

• At the time of Pala’s reign, the University of Nalanda became prevalent all across the world. 

• During this time, Nalanda had 10,000+ students and teachers who hailed from various parts of India. Again, they also hailed from China, central Asia, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.