Varendra rebellion

Varendra rebellion

Varendra region within Bengal
Location
Varendra (present day Dinajpur, Malda and Rajshahi regions)
Result

Varendra rebel victory

  • Varendra became an independent state for around 50 years
  • Collapse of the Pala Empire in Varendra, which substantially weakened Pala empire and subsequently led to its final decline
  • Assassination of Mahipala II
  • Capital punishment of Bhima after losing the final battle
Territorial
changes		 Varendra succeeds from the Pala Empire and becomes independent for a half century
Belligerents
Cāsi Kaivarta Pala Empire
Commanders and leaders
  • Dibyak (Divya)
  • Rudok
  • Bhima
  • Mahipala II †
  • Ramapala

    • The Varendra rebellion (also known as the Kaivarta revolt) was the revolt against King Mahipala II led by Kaivarta chieftain Divya (Dibyak), a feudal lord of Northern Bengal. The Kaivartas were able to capture Varendra by this rebellion. The revolt might have been the first peasant revolt in Indian history.[1][2] However, the first phase of the revolt would more appropriately be described as a rebellion of feudal lords (samantas), who would have mobilized the peasants, and the last phase of the revolt was a spontaneous mass uprising.[3][4][5]

    The map of Pala dynasty during the reign of Dharmapal(violet)
    1. ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1977). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0436-4.
    2. ^ Sharma, R. S.; Sharma, Ram Sharan (2003). Early Medieval Indian Society: A Study in Feudalisation. Orient Blackswan. pp. 221–227. ISBN 978-81-250-2523-8.
    3. ^ "Varendra Rebellion". Banglapedia. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
    4. ^ Thapar, Romila (2002). Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. University of California Press. p. 410. ISBN 0-520-23899-0.
    5. ^ Thapar, Romila (2013). The Past Before Us. Harvard University Press. pp. 500–1. ISBN 978-0-674-72651-2.