Narayanapala
{{About|the king of the Pala dynasty|the king of the Kamboja-Pala Dynasty|Narayan Pala (Kamboja)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession = Pala emperor
| reign = 871–925 CE
| predecessor = Vigrahapala I
| successor = Rajyapala
| dynasty = Pala
| religion = Shaivism
| father = Vigrahapala I
| mother = Lajjadevi
| spouse = Mamma, daughter of Govindaraja{{Cite journal | url=https://www.academia.edu/22297247 | title=Bharat Kala Bhavan Copper Plate Inscription of Rājyapāla, year 2: Re-edition and Reinterpretation | journal=Puravritta | date=January 2016 | last1=Furui | first1=Ryosuke | pages=53}}
| issue = Rajyapala
}}
Narayanapala (871–925 CE){{Cite journal |last=Laha |first=Gopal |date=2017 |title=Revised Genealogy, Chronology & Regnal Years of the Kings of the Pala Dynasty in the Light of the Latest Discoveries, Decipherment and Presentation (750-1200 A.d) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26906092 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=78 |pages=257 |jstor=26906092 |issn=2249-1937}} was the seventh emperor of the Pala Empire of the Eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions.
Reign
The Gaya temple inscription dated in his 7th regnal year, the Indian Museum (found in the erstwhile Patna district) stone inscription dated in his 9th regnal year, the Bhagalpur copper-plate grant dated in his 17th regnal year, Bihar votive image inscription dated in his 54th regnal year and the Badal pillar inscription of his minister Bhatta Guravamishra provide information about his reign.Sinha, Bindeshwari Prasad (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha, New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, pp. 192–4
Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different historians estimate Narayanapala's reign as follows:{{cite book | author=Susan L. Huntington | title=The "Påala-Sena" Schools of Sculpture | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLA3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA32 | date=1 January 1984 | publisher=Brill Archive | isbn=90-04-06856-2 |pages=32–37 }}
| class="wikitable"
! Historian ! Estimate of reign |
| RC Majumdar (1971)
| 854–908 CE |
| AM Chowdhury (1967)
| 866–920 CE |
| BP Sinha (1977)
| 865–920 CE |
| DC Sircar (1975–76)
| 860–917 CE |
File:Badal Pillar Inscription.jpg
He was the son of Vigrahapala I by his wife, the Kalachuri princess Lajjadevi,{{cite book|last=Mishra|first=Vijayakanta|title=Cultural Heritage of Mithila|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Mithila Prakasana|page=39}}{{cite book|last=Maitreya|first=Akshay Kumar|authorlink=Akshay Kumar Maitreya|title=The fall of the Pāla Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O05uAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Narayanapala+claimed+that+his+mother+Lajjadevi+belonged+to+the+Haihaya-family%22|year=1987|publisher=University of North Bengal|page=1}} who is identified by O.P. Verma as being the probable daughter of Kokalla I.{{cite journal|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=24|year=1961|page=63|title=MATRIMONIAL ALLIANCES OF PALA RULERS (Summary)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x7jAAAAMAAJ|first=O.P.|last=Verma|publisher=Dr S.P. Sen|location=Calcutta}} Naryanapala was later succeeded by his son Rajyapala.{{cite book|last=Qureshi|first=Ishtiaq Hussain|authorlink=Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi|title=A Short History of Pakistan: Pre-Muslim period, by A. H. Dani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mrk5AQAAIAAJ|year=1967|publisher=University of Karachi|location=Karachi|page=181}}
Religion and Religious Policy
Before the Pāla Dynasty, Shaivism struck roots in Bengal, but it was during that dynasty that Brahmaņa ministers enhanced their influence and established Hinduism over Buddhism. Especially during the reign of Narayanapala, Shaivism gained an extensive hold upon the minds of people of Bengal. Buddhism's prevalence in the region reduced, gradually becoming blended with Shaivism.{{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Benoy Kumar |url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.53767 |title=Folk-element in Hindu culture |date=1972 |pages=170}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite book |last=Chowdhury |first=AM |year=2012 |chapter=Pala Dynasty |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pala_Dynasty |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| title = Pala Emperor
| years = 9th–10th century
| before = Vigrahapala I
| after = Rajyapala
}}
{{s-end}}