Gopala I

2021-06-13T10:01:46Z

2405:204:5080:2C9C:10B2:DCAC:BA28:CEAD:

{{Short description|8th century founder of Indian Pala Dynasty}}
{{about||the mathematician|Gopala (mathematician)|the child [[Krishna]]|Gopal (Krishna)}}
{{Infobox royalty
|name = Gopala
|image =
|caption =
|succession = [[Pala Empire|Pala Emperor]]
|predecessor = ''position established''
|successor = [[Dharmapala (emperor)|Dharmapala]]
|regent =
|spouse = Deddadevi of the [[Bhadra dynasty]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sharma|first=Ranjit Kumar|title=Matsyanyaya and the Rise of the Palas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bA88AQAAIAAJ|journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh: Humanities|year=1988|publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh|page=7}}</ref>
|issue = Dharmapala<br/>Vakpala
|full name =
|house = [[Pala Empire|Pala Dynasty]]
|dynasty = [[Pala Empire|Pala]]
|father = Vapyata
|mother =
|reign = c. 750s–770s CE
|birth_name =
|birth_date =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|date of burial =
|place of burial =
}}
'''Gopala''' (ruled c. 750s–770s CE) was the founder of the [[Pala Empire|Pala dynasty]] of [[Bihar]] and [[Bengal]] regions of the [[Indian Subcontinent]]. The last [[morpheme]] of his name ''Pala'' means "protector" and was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala [[monarch]]s. Pala does not suggest or indicate any ethnic or caste considerations of the Pala dynasty. He came to power around 750 CE in ''Gaur'' / ''Gwal'' after being elected by a group of regional chieftains.

== Origins ==

There are no contemporary sources of information about Gopala's life: he is known only through the later literary references and genealogies in inscriptions.<ref name="Susan1984"/>{{rp|39}}

The name of his father was Vapyata, and his grandfather Dayitavishnu.<ref>AM Chowdhury, Dynastic History of Bengal, Dhaka, 1967</ref> A [[eulogy]] on the Khalimpur copper plate of his son Gopala describes his father Vapyata as a ''Khanditarati'' or "killer of enemies", and his grandfather Dayitavishnu as ''Sarva-vidyavadata'' ("all-knowing" in the sense "highly educated").<ref name="Jhunu1993">{{cite book | author=Jhunu Bagchi | title=The History and Culture of the Pālas of Bengal and Bihar, Cir. 750 A.D.-cir. 1200 A.D. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7RKoMeAtpUC&pg=PA2 | date=1 January 1993 | publisher=Abhinav Publications | isbn=978-81-7017-301-4 | page = 37 }}</ref> The later texts of the Pala period, such as ''[[Ramacharita]]'', mention the Pala rulers as the kings descended from the [[solar dynasty]].

== Election ==

After the death of the [[Gaur, West Bengal|Gauda]] king ''[[Shashanka]]'', a century of anarchy and confusion ensued in [[Bengal]]. This situation is described by the Sanskrit phrase ''matsya nyaya'' ("fish justice" i.e. a situation in which the big fish prey on the smaller ones). It was during these times that Gopala came to power around 750 CE. {{centered pull quote
|''Matsyanyayam apakitum prakritibhir Lakshmiya karam grahitah Sri Gopala iti kshitisa-sirsam chudamani-tatsubha''<br/>
To put an end to the state of affairs similar to what happens among fishes, the ''prakriti'' made the glorious Gopala, the crest jewel of the heads of kings, take the hand of [[Lakshmi]], the goddess of fortune.
}}

The Sanskrit word ''prakriti'' is suggestive of "people" in general.<ref name="Nitish2011">{{cite book | author=Nitish K. Sengupta | title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA40 | date=1 January 2011 | publisher=Penguin Books India | isbn=978-0-14-341678-4 | page=40 }}</ref> The Tibetan Buddhist [[lama]] [[Taranatha]] (1575–1634), writing nearly 800 years later, also writes that he was democratically elected by the people of Bengal. However, his account is in form of a legend, and is considered historically unreliable. The legend mentions that after a period of anarchy, the people elected several kings in succession, all of whom were consumed by the [[Naga (mythology)|Naga]] queen of an earlier king on the night following their election. Gopala, however managed to kill the queen and remained on the throne.<ref name="Biplab2005">{{cite book | author=Biplab Dasgupta | title=European Trade and Colonial Conquest | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YRRnRK8lEYEC&pg=PA341 | date=1 January 2005 | publisher=Anthem Press | isbn=978-1-84331-029-7 | pages=341–}}</ref>

The historical evidence indicates that Gopala was not elected directly by his subjects, but by a group of feudal chieftains. Such elections were quite common in contemporary tribal societies of the region.<ref name="Nitish2011"/><ref name="Biplab2005"/> The stanza in the Khalimpur copper plate is a [[eulogy]], and uses the word ''prakriti'' figuratively.<ref name="PBU1986">{{cite book | author=P.B. Udgaonkar | title=Political Institutions & Administration | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jdoym34QydQC&pg=PA34 | date=1 January 1986 | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. | isbn=978-81-208-2087-6 | pages=34–}}</ref>

Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different historians estimate Gopala's reign as follows:<ref name="Susan1984">{{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 }}</ref>{{rp|32–37}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Historian
! Estimate of Gopala's reign
|-
| [[Ramesh Chandra Majumdar|RC Majumdar]] (1971)
| 750–770
|-
| AM Chowdhury (1967)
| 756-781
|-
| BP Sinha (1977)
| 755-783
|-
| [[Dineshchandra Sircar|DC Sircar]] (1975–76)
| 750-775
|}

==Reign and legacy==

According to ''Manjusrimulakalpa'', Gopala died at the age of 80, after a reign of 27 years.<ref name="Pramode_Vol1">{{cite book | title = The Early History of Bengal | author = Pramode Lal Paul | publisher = Indian Research Institute | series = Indian History | url = http://oudl.osmania.ac.in/bitstream/handle/OUDL/14288/218329_The_Early_History_Of_Bengal_Vol_I.pdf?sequence=2 | page = 36 | year = 1939 | access-date = 2014-03-28 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140329011504/http://oudl.osmania.ac.in/bitstream/handle/OUDL/14288/218329_The_Early_History_Of_Bengal_Vol_I.pdf?sequence=2 | archive-date = 2014-03-29 }}</ref> Not much is known about his life or military career, but at the time of his death, Gopala had bequeathed a large kingdom to his son [[Dharmapala of Bengal|Dharmapala]] (770-810 CE). No records are available about the exact boundaries of Gopala's kingdom, but it might have included almost all of the [[Bengal]] region.<ref name="Sailendra1999">{{cite book | author=Sailendra Nath Sen | title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA278 | date=1 January 1999 | publisher=New Age International | isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 | pages=277–287}}</ref> His son and successor Dharmapala greatly expanded the kingdom, making it one of the most powerful empires in contemporary India.

==Religion==

A few sources written much after Gopala's death mention him as a Buddhist, but it is not known if this is true.<ref name="Susan1984"/>{{rp|39}} Taranatha attests that Gopala was a staunch [[Buddhist]] and a major patron of Buddhism. He also states that Gopala had built the famous Buddhist monastery at [[Odantapuri]].<ref>History of Buddhism in India, Translation by A Shiefner</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of rulers of Bengal]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Pala Empire|Pala Emperor]]
| years = c. 750s–770s CE
| before = ''[[Gupta Empire]]''
| after = [[Dharmapala of Bengal|Dharmapala]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopala}}
[[Category:Pala kings]]
[[Category:Rulers of Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian Buddhists]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]
[[Category:Indian Buddhist monarchs]]

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Gopala I