Pala Empire

Empire Level 2 ★ Major power

c. 750 CE – c. 1161

Buddhist empire of Bengal and Bihar; patrons of Nalanda and Vikramashila.

🗺 See on map in 791 CE

Capital: Gauda / Pataliputra / Monghyr
Region: East
Duration: 411 years
Main period: Tripartite Struggle

Changing extent

c. 750 CE — ≈ 50,000 km²: Gopala elected in Varendra (north Bengal)
c. 790 CE — ≈ 340,000 km²: Dharmapala and Devapala: Bengal and Bihar
c. 900 CE — ≈ 190,000 km²: Contraction to Bihar and west Bengal
c. 1077 — ≈ 260,000 km²: Ramapala's revival

Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).

At a glance

Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.

Rulers

Gopala Dharmapala Devapala Mahipala I Ramapala

Events

Extent

750 CE800 CE900 CE100011001161

Rulers

Gopala King
Elected to end matsyanyaya.
c. 750 CE – c. 770 CE
Dharmapala King
Founded Vikramashila.
c. 770 CE – c. 810 CE
Devapala King
c. 810 CE – c. 850 CE
Mahipala I King
Pala revival.
c. 988 CE – c. 1038
Ramapala King
Ramacharita of Sandhyakara Nandi.
c. 1077 – c. 1130

Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.

👑 Succession chart →

Key events

Year	Event	Place
c. 750 CE	Gopala elected king in Bengal Foundation of the Pala dynasty.	Bengal
c. 800 CE	Vikramashila university founded The Pala king Dharmapala founded Vikramashila on the banks of the Ganga in the late 8th century; with six colleges and nearly 3,000 scholars, it remained a great centre of learning for more than four centuries.	Vikramashila
c. 1161	End of the Pala dynasty After the decline of the Palas, the Sena dynasty became the dominant power over much of Bengal, with its capital at Nadiya. The Senas became the leading power in Bengal.	Bengal

Sites & monuments

Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur

Religious monument · c. 780 CE

Personalities

Atisha Dipankara

982 CE – 1054

Vikramashila scholar who revived Buddhism in Tibet

📚 Recommended reading on the Pala Empire

Textbook

Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)

NCERT · NCERT

The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims SSC State PSC

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Textbook

Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)

NCERT · NCERT

Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Textbook

An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)

NCERT · NCERT

The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims State PSC

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Textbook

History of Medieval India

Satish Chandra · Orient BlackSwan

The go-to single volume on the Sultanate, Mughals and regional kingdoms.

UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →

📄 Research papers

Paper🏛 Library access

🇮🇳 Indian scholarship

How feudal was Indian feudalism?

R. S. Sharma · 1985
The Journal of Peasant Studies 12(2–3): 19–43

The case for 'Indian feudalism' after the Guptas: land grants, decline of trade and dependent peasants.

✓ Verified with Crossref · 28 Sep 2026 · Original article by its authors, at the publisher

Read at the publisher ↗Google Scholar ↗doi:10.1080/03066158508438263

Paper🏛 Library access

🇮🇳 Indian scholarship

Political Processes and Structure of Polity in Early Medieval India: Problems of Perspective

B. D. Chattopadhyaya · 1985
Social Scientist 13(6): 3–34

Proposes 'integration' — the spread of state society into new regions — as the key to early medieval India.

✓ Verified with Crossref · 28 Sep 2026 · Original article by its authors, at the publisher

Read at the publisher ↗Google Scholar ↗doi:10.2307/3520317

All journals & research papers →

🕸 Connections 19 links

Explore connections full screen ↗

Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.

🗂 Era 1

Medieval India
Part of this era

⏳ Periods 1

Tripartite Struggle
Belongs to this period

🏛 Kingdoms & empires 2

Pallava Dynasty 275 CE – 897 CE
Existed at the same time (147 years)
Rashtrakuta Empire 753 CE – 982 CE
Existed at the same time (229 years)

👑 Rulers 5

Gopala 750 CE – 770 CE
Ruled it
Dharmapala 770 CE – 810 CE
Ruled it
Devapala 810 CE – 850 CE
Ruled it
Mahipala I 988 CE – 1038
Ruled it
Ramapala 1077 – 1130
Ruled it

👤 People 1

Atisha Dipankara 982 CE – 1054
Lived under it

⚔ Events 3

Gopala elected king in Bengal c. 750 CE
Happened in it
Vikramashila university founded c. 800 CE
Happened in it
End of the Pala dynasty c. 1161
Happened in it

📍 Places & sites 1

Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur c. 780 CE
A place of this polity

🔧 Technology 1

Stepwells: Rani-ki-Vav 11th century
Made or discovered in this time

📄 Research 2

How feudal was Indian feudalism? R. S. Sharma · 1985
Research on this topic
Political Processes and Structure of Polity in Early Medieval India: Problems o… B. D. Chattopadhyaya · 1985
Research on this topic

📚 Books 2

Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8) NCERT
Recommended reading
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12) NCERT
Recommended reading

Contemporaries

Powers that coexisted with the Pala Empire for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.

Anuradhapura Kingdom ★

Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017

Overlap: 267 years

Pallava Dynasty ★

South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE

Overlap: 147 years

Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari ★

West · c. 650 CE – c. 1194

Overlap: 411 years

Gurjara-Pratihara Empire ★

North · c. 730 CE – c. 1036

Overlap: 286 years

Rashtrakuta Empire ★

Deccan · c. 753 CE – c. 982 CE

Overlap: 229 years

Chola Empire ★

South · c. 848 CE – 1279

Overlap: 313 years

Ghaznavid Empire ★

Northwest · c. 977 CE – c. 1186

Overlap: 184 years

Polonnaruwa Kingdom ★

Sri Lanka · c. 1070 – 1232

Overlap: 91 years

Western Ganga Dynasty

South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000

Overlap: 250 years

Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140

Overlap: 390 years

Maitraka Dynasty

West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE

Overlap: 26 years

Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)

South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE

Overlap: 170 years

Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

Deccan · c. 624 CE – c. 1075

Overlap: 325 years

Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir

North · c. 625 CE – c. 855 CE

Overlap: 105 years

Turk Shahis

Northwest · c. 665 CE – c. 822 CE

Overlap: 72 years

Kalachuris of Tripuri

Central · c. 675 CE – 1212

Overlap: 411 years

Guhilas of Medapata

West · c. 728 CE – 1303

Overlap: 411 years

Tomaras of Delhi

North · c. 736 CE – c. 1152

Overlap: 402 years

Abbasid Caliphate — Sindh province

Northwest · c. 750 CE – c. 854 CE

Overlap: 104 years

Thakuri Kingdom of Nepal

Himalaya · c. 750 CE – 1200

Overlap: 411 years

Chera Perumals of Makotai

South · c. 800 CE – c. 1124

Overlap: 324 years

Paramara Dynasty

Central · c. 800 CE – 1305

Overlap: 361 years

Hindu Shahis

Northwest · c. 822 CE – c. 1026

Overlap: 204 years

Chandela Dynasty

Central · c. 831 CE – 1315

Overlap: 330 years

Habbarid Emirate

Northwest · c. 854 CE – c. 1011

Overlap: 157 years

Utpala Dynasty of Kashmir

North · c. 855 CE – c. 1003

Overlap: 148 years

Chaulukyas (Solankis) of Gujarat

West · c. 940 CE – 1244

Overlap: 221 years

Western Chalukyas of Kalyani

Deccan · c. 973 CE – c. 1189

Overlap: 188 years

Lohara Dynasty of Kashmir

North · c. 1003 – c. 1171

Overlap: 158 years

Hoysala Empire

South · c. 1026 – 1343

Overlap: 135 years

Soomra Dynasty

Northwest · c. 1026 – 1351

Overlap: 135 years

Sena Dynasty

East · c. 1070 – 1230

Overlap: 91 years

Eastern Ganga Dynasty

East · c. 1078 – 1434

Overlap: 83 years

Gahadavala Dynasty

Gangetic Plain · c. 1089 – c. 1197

Overlap: 72 years

Khasa Malla Kingdom

Himalaya · c. 1100 – c. 1400

Overlap: 61 years

Zamorins of Calicut

South · c. 1124 – 1766

Overlap: 37 years

Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)

West · c. 1128 – 1949

Overlap: 33 years