Mahipala I (c. 995 - 1043 C.E.) is considered the second founder of the Pala dynasty. Gopala I established the dynastic rule of the Palas in the middle of the 8th century C.E. The Pala Dynasty ruled Bengal and Bihar for about four centuries from the middle of the 8th century AD. Events (Erik Segersäll) is succeeded by (Olof Skötkonung), the first baptized ruler of Sweden. ... // Events Edward the Confessor crowned King of England at Winchester Cathedral. ... Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Bihar (बिहार in Devanagari) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ...

Mahipala succeeded in recovering the lost fortune of the dynasty and in checking the forces of disintegration for the time being, but could not totally remove them. But his success gave the dynastic rule of the Palas a second lease of life.

During the reigns of Gopala II and Vigrahapala II, the two immediate predecessors of Mahipala, Bengal had to face repeated invasions of the Chandellas and the Kalachuris, the new powers that arose out of the ruins of the Pratihara empire in northern India. The Chandelas, also known as the Chandels, were a Rajput clan who ruled in Bundelkhand from the 10th to the 16th centuries. ...

Conquests

Mahipala seems to have a long reign as his two Imadpur inscriptions are dated in his 48th year. Mahipala, on his accession, found the Pala empire confined to southern Bihar and in his early years he fought successfully to recover northern and western Bengal from the Kambojas. Towards the close of his reign he succeeded in spreading Pala authority in northern Bihar. He must be given the credit for re-establishing Pala authority over their original kingdom, except a portion of southern west Bengal, where Ranasura and Dharmapala ruled. Kambojas are a very ancient people of north-western parts of ancient India, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda. ... Bihar (बिहार in Devanagari) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... This article is about the Buddhist concept; see Anagarika Dharmapala for the Sri Lankan monk. ...

The Belwa and Bangarh copperplates claim that Mahipala, by slaying all his enemies, obtained his paternal kingdom which had been snatched away through pride of prowess by people who had no claim to it. It is possible that the Mahipala lost his rightful Pala throne sometime during the early part of his reign. Mahipala's success in recovering the paternal kingdom was his most important achievement, since it gave a new lease of life to the Pala Empire. Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire. ...

Mahipala held authority over southern Bihar (Magadha) and towards the close of his reign over northern Bihar. Scholars also ascribe to him conquests beyond Bihar on the basis of his Sarnath inscription. The inscription, dated c. 1083 or 1026 C.E., is of a purely religious nature and records the construction and rebuilding of religious edifices at the famous Buddhist site near Benares. Mahipala cannot be taken to have possessed Benares solely on the basis of this inscription. Magadha was an ancient kingdom of India, mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. ... Sarnath (formerly also Mrigadava, Rishipattana, Isipatana), located 13 kilometres from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded. ... Events Sancho I of Aragon conqueres Graus. ... Events Archbishop Ariberto crowns Conrad II King of Italy in Milan. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Benares (also known as Banaras, Kashi, Kasi and Varanasi (वाराणसी)) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga or Ganges in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ...

Battle with Rajendra Chola

The Chola inscription (Tirumulai inscription), which records Rajendra Chola's invasion of Bengal some time in between 1021 and 1024 C.E., throws further light on the condition of Bengal. The inscription records that after conquering Orissa the Chola general seized Dandabhukti after having destroyed Dharmapala (possibly belonging to the Kamboja line) and reached southern Radha where he met Ranashura. Then the army reached Vangaladesha, where the 'rainwater never stopped'. The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... Rajendra Chola I was the son of Rajaraja Chola I, the great Chola king of South India. ... Orissa (2001 provisional pop. ... This article is about the Buddhist concept; see Anagarika Dharmapala for the Sri Lankan monk. ... Look up Kamboja in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Civic Works

Mahipala was better known for his peaceful pursuits. A number of towns and large tanks still bear his name. Mahiganj in Rangpur district, Mahipur in Bogra district, Mahisantosa in Dinajpur district and Mahipala in Murshidabad district; Mahipaladighi (tank) in Dinajpur and Mahipala's Sagardighi in Murshidabad - all these still bear testimony to his deeds and the high esteem in which the people held him. It is further reflected in the numerous ballads believed to exist in Bengal commemorating his name. Brndaban Das wrote in his Chaitanya Bhagavat (c. 1572 C.E.) that the people of Bengal in the early part of the 16th century were very fond of these songs of Mahipala. The popularity of these songs and the name of Mahipala are reflected in the common saying, Dhan bhante Mahipaler git (songs of Mahipala while husking rice), which is still prevalent in rural Bengal. Rangpur, city in Bangladesh, not to be confused with Rampur, the names of a city and a former state in India. ... Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Dhaka division. ... Dinajpur is a district in Northern Bangladesh. ... Murshidabad is a district of the state of West Bengal, India. ... Events January 16 - Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. ...

Possibly after early years of war Mahipala devoted himself to peaceful pursuits and religious activities. His public works endeared him to the hearts of the people of Bengal. The excavations at Paharpur have revealed the revival of Pala power under Mahipala as manifest in the wholesale renovation of the main temple and in the monastic cells and in the numerous votive stupas at the shrine of Tara in the Satyapir Bhita. Paharpur is a ruined city in Bangladesh which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. ...

References

• Banglapedia - National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/index.html)