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|common_languages = Sanskrit, Prakrit (including Pali), proto-Bengali |religion = Buddhism |title_leader = Emperor |leader1 = Gopala |year_leader1 = 8th century |leader2 = Madanapala |year_leader2 = 12th century |footnotes = |today = }} The Pala Empire was an empire during classical antiquity in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffix of ''Pala'', which meant "protector" in the ancient language of Prakrit. They were followers of the Mahayana and Tantric schools of Buddhism. The empire was founded with the election of Gopala as the emperor of Gauda in 750.〔https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC&pg=PA268&dq=gopala+election+pala+empire&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC4Q6AEwBGoVChMI3abVt4y4yAIVw0SOCh2rVwih#v=onepage&q=gopala%20election%20pala%20empire&f=false〕 The Pala stronghold was located in Bengal and Bihar, which included the major cities of Pataliputra, Vikrampura, Ramvati (Varendra), Munger, Tamralipta and Jaggadala. The Palas were astute diplomats and military conquerors. Their army was noted for its vast war elephant cavalry. Their navy performed both mercantile and defensive roles in the Bay of Bengal. The Palas were important promoters of classical Indian philosophy, literature, painting and sculpture. They built grand temples and monasteries, including the Somapura Mahavihara, and patronized the great universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. The Proto-Bengali language developed under Pala rule. The empire enjoyed relations with the Srivijaya Empire, the Tibetan Empire and the Arab Abbasid Caliphate. Islam first appeared in Bengal during Pala rule, as a result of increased trade between Bengal and the Middle East. Abbasid coinage found in Pala archaeological sites, as well as records of Arab historians, point to flourishing mercantile and intellectual contacts. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad absorbed the mathematical and astronomical achievements of Indian civilization during this period.〔Essays on Ancient India by Raj Kumar p.199〕 At its height in the early 9th century, the Pala Empire was the dominant power in the northern subcontinent, with its territory stretching across parts of modern-day eastern Pakistan, northern and northeastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh.〔〔https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA280&dq=pala+empire+r+c+majumdar&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBWoVChMIq8mlo4y4yAIVgz6OCh36gASf#v=onepage&q=pala%20empire%20r%20c%20majumdar&f=false〕 The empire reached its peak under Emperors Dharmapala and Devapala. The Palas also exerted a strong cultural influence under Atisa in Tibet, as well as in Southeast Asia. Pala control of North India was ultimately ephemeral, as they struggled with the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas for the control of Kannauj and were defeated. After a short lived decline, Emperor Mahipala I defended imperial bastions in Bengal and Bihar against South Indian Chola invasions. Emperor Ramapala was the last strong Pala ruler, who gained control of Kamarupa and Kalinga. The empire was considerably weakened by the 11th century, with many areas engulfed in rebellion. The resurgent Hindu Sena dynasty dethroned the Pala Empire in the 12th century, ending the reign of the last major Buddhist imperial power in the subcontinent. The Pala period is considered as a golden era of pre-Islamic Bengali history.〔〔 The Palas brought stability and prosperity to Bengal after centuries of civil war between warring divisions. They advanced the achievements of previous Bengali civilizations and created outstanding works of art and architecture. They laid the basis for the Bengali language, including its first literary work, the ''Charyapada''. The Pala legacy is still reflected in Tibetan Buddhism. == History == 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pala Empire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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