Pala dynasty (Kamarupa)

Kamarupa Kingdom
Kamarupa Kingdom
900 CE–1100 CE
	The traditional boundary of the Kamarupa kingdom
Capital	Harruppeshvar (present-day Tezpur), ; Durjaya (present-day North Guwahati), ; Kamarupanagara (present-day North Guwahati)
Religion	Hinduism
Government	Monarchy
Maharajadhiraja
• c900 – c920	Brahma Pala
• c920 – c960	Ratna Pala
• c960 – c990	Indra Pala
• c990 – 1015	Go Pala
• c1015 – c1035	Harsha Pala
• c1035 – c1060	Dharma Pala
• c1075 – c1100	Jaya Pala
Historical era	Classical India
• Established	900 CE
• Disestablished	1100 CE
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Mlechchha dynasty
Kachari kingdom
Chutia kingdom
Baro-Bhuyan
Kamata Kingdom
Ahom dynasty

The Pala dynasty of Kamarupa kingdom ruled from 900 CE. Like the Pala Empire of Bengal, the first ruler in this dynasty was elected, which probably explains the name of this dynasty "Pala". The Hindu orthodoxy drew their lineage from the earlier Varman dynasty and thus ultimately from Narakasura i.e. Bhauma dynasty. The dynasty is unrelated to the previous Varman and Mlecchna dynasties.^[2]

The Palas were the last dynasty to rule Kamarupa. After the collapse of the Pala rule, Kamarupa disintegrated, to be followed in due course by the Ahom,^[3] Chutia,^[4] Kamata,^[5] and Kachari^[6] kingdoms, and the confederate rule of the Baro-Bhuyans.^[7]

^ (Dutta 2008:281), reproduced from (Acharya 1968).
^ "From a close reading of the royal genealogy, it is apparent that there was no unilineal development of dynasties and definite connection among them. In fact, the Mlecchas and the Pālas denied the validity of previous dynasty for claiming their own legitimacy and the character and identity of progenitor, Naraka, were continuously re-formulated according to the socio-political changes."(Shin 2018:127)
^ "Whereas the rulers of Kamarupa were losing their hold and authority over their possessions owing to the internal dissenssion, they were finally overtaken by a small group of Tai-Shans who later became the lord of the land also became one with the indigenous people in their fight against invaders from the west," (Baruah 1986:172)
^ "Amongst the numerous kingdoms in the upper Brahmaputra valley, which emerged on the political scene following the extinction of the Palas, those of the Chutiyas and the Kacharis, both of whom are indigenous people of Assam, were the most powerful." (Baruah 1986:181)
^ "Kamarupa was reorganized as a new state. 'Kamata' by name with Kamatapur as capital. The exact time when the change was made is uncertain. But possibly it had been made by Sandhya (c1250-1270) as a safeguard against mounting dangers from the east and the west. Its control on the eastern regions beyond the Manah (Manas river) was lax." (Sarkar 1992, pp. 40–41)
^ "Another powerful kingdom that rose into prominence after the fall of the Palas was that of the Kacharis." (Baruah 1986:186)
^ "[A] class of new rulers called Bhuyans rose into considerable prominence following the disintegration of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa." (Baruah 1986:193)

[acharya_map-1] (Dutta 2008:281), reproduced from (Acharya 1968).

[2] "From a close reading of the royal genealogy, it is apparent that there was no unilineal development of dynasties and definite connection among them. In fact, the Mlecchas and the Pālas denied the validity of previous dynasty for claiming their own legitimacy and the character and identity of progenitor, Naraka, were continuously re-formulated according to the socio-political changes."(Shin 2018:127)

[3] "Whereas the rulers of Kamarupa were losing their hold and authority over their possessions owing to the internal dissenssion, they were finally overtaken by a small group of Tai-Shans who later became the lord of the land also became one with the indigenous people in their fight against invaders from the west," (Baruah 1986:172)

[4] "Amongst the numerous kingdoms in the upper Brahmaputra valley, which emerged on the political scene following the extinction of the Palas, those of the Chutiyas and the Kacharis, both of whom are indigenous people of Assam, were the most powerful." (Baruah 1986:181)

[5] "Kamarupa was reorganized as a new state. 'Kamata' by name with Kamatapur as capital. The exact time when the change was made is uncertain. But possibly it had been made by Sandhya (c1250-1270) as a safeguard against mounting dangers from the east and the west. Its control on the eastern regions beyond the Manah (Manas river) was lax." (Sarkar 1992, pp. 40–41)

[6] "Another powerful kingdom that rose into prominence after the fall of the Palas was that of the Kacharis." (Baruah 1986:186)

[7] "[A] class of new rulers called Bhuyans rose into considerable prominence following the disintegration of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa." (Baruah 1986:193)

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