Harish pala Inscription 2025-05-24 122658

Raja Harish Pala or Harishchandra Pala was a historical monarch, who ruled the ancient city of Sarveshwar or modern-day

Savar Savar () is a city in central Bangladesh, located in the Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka. It is the closest separate city to the centre of Dhaka. It is also a part of the Greater Dhaka conurbation which forms the Dhaka megacity. About ...

in the

Dhaka District Dhaka District () is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rests on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, during between the 10th to 11th centuries CE. This period coincided with the post-Gupta era, a time marked by regional dynasties and the flourishing of

Buddhist culture Buddhist culture is exemplified through Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music and Buddhist cuisine. As Buddhism expanded from the Indian subcontinent it adopted artistic and cultural elements of host countries in other parts of Asia ...

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

Background

Although, the exact details of Harishchandra's background remains unclear but it is generally accepted that he belonged to a cadet branch of the

Pala Dynasty The Pāla Empire was the empire ruled by the Pala dynasty, ("protector" in Sanskrit) a medieval Indian dynasty which ruled the kingdom of Gauda. The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla by the chiefs of Gauda in late eighth centu ...

, who in the later centuries began identifying as

Mahishya Mahishya (IAST: Māhiṣya) is a Bengali Hindu traditionally agrarian caste, and formed the largest caste in undivided Bengal. Mahisyas were, and still are, an extremely diverse caste consisting of all possible classes in terms of material con ...

. His ancestors had migrated from the hinterlands of

Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County * Pala, Järva County, ...

territory, Gauḍa, to Barendra in Eastern Bengal. Most historians hold him to be the great grandson or grandson of

Rajyapala Rajyapala was the eighth emperor of the Pala dynasty. He succeeded his father Narayanapala. He reigned for 32 years. The Bharat Kala Bhaban inscription is dated in his 2nd regnal year, He was succeeded by his son Gopala III.Sinha, Bindeshwar ...

. In the early part of the 10th century, he came to Savar and established a kingdom there. Discussing from where he came to

, it is assumed that when the Barendra region slipped from the hands of the Pala king

Vigrahapala II Vigrahapala II (r. c. 973–978 CE) was the successor to the Pala king Gopala III in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, and tenth ruler of the Pala line reigning for at least 12 years. He was succeeded by the famed Mahipala. Reign ...

in 973 CE and was conquered by the

Kambojas The Kambojas were a southeastern Iranian peoples, Iranian people who inhabited the northeastern most part of the territory populated by Iranian tribes, which bordered the Indian subcontinent, Indian lands. They only appear in Indo-Aryan langua ...

, who were referred to as 'unauthorized' rulers, during this time of great crisis for Gauda, when

was hiding in a secluded corner of the Gauda kingdom, possibly in

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

the

Chandela The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs. T ...

king

Yashovarman Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Kannauj and first king of the Varman dynasty. Life Yashovarman was the king of Kannauj in the early part of the eighth century. The city (then known as Kanyakubja) had previously ...

's descendant

Dhanga Dhanga (r. c. 950-999 CE), also known as Dhaṇgadeva in inscriptions, was a king of the Chandela dynasty of India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region (Bundelkhand in present-day Madhya Pradesh). Dhanga established the sovereignty of the Chande ...

attacked

Anga Anga was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great na ...

and

Rarh ''Rarh region'' () is a toponym for an area in the Indian subcontinent that lies between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East. Although the boundaries of the region have been defined differently according to vari ...

in 1002 CE, devastating the entire region. It is very likely that during this time, Harishchandra left Gauda and came to

, where he established a small independent kingdom. When the

Pala dynasty The Pāla Empire was the empire ruled by the Pala dynasty, ("protector" in Sanskrit) a medieval Indian dynasty which ruled the kingdom of Gauda. The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla by the chiefs of Gauda in late eighth centu ...

was on the verge of collapse, the royal descendants took refuge in the water-surrounded, secure areas of East Bengal, as mentioned earlier. Harishchandra is said to have left Gauda and founded his kingdom in

Biography

While Raja Harishchandra's exact lineage remains uncertain but it is generally agreed that he was a

by caste and inherited the Kingdom of

from his ancestors. He was a descendant of a cadet branch of the early

, known for its patronage of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. Additionally, historical accounts mention that King Govindachandra of the

Chandra dynasty The Chandra dynasty was a Buddhist dynasty, originating from the South East Bengal region of Indian subcontinent, which ruled the Samatata area of Bengal, as well as Arakan. Later it was a neighbor to the Pala Empire to the north. Rulers of Ch ...

married two daughters of Harishchandra Pal, indicating his prominence in the region's political landscape. During his reign, Sarveshwar was among the most powerful states of

and being its

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

, Harishchandra was one of the most powerful ruling monarchs of that era. He fought multiple wars with the neighbouring Kingdoms and even managed to subjugate them completely and reduced others to

vassalage A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...

even. He waged major wars with dynasties such as the

Khadga dynasty The Khadga dynasty () was a Buddhist dynasty which ruled the areas of Vanga and Samatata in ancient Bengal from 625 CE to 716 CE. Chronologically, the dynasty emerged as a powerful kingdom of Bengal between the fall of Gauda Kingdom and the ri ...

and the

Deva dynasty Deva Dynasty (c. 12th – 15th centuries) was a Bengali Hindu dynasty which originated in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent; the dynasty ruled over eastern Bengal after the Sena dynasty. The capital of the dynasty was Bikrampur in ...

. At a distance of 7 to 8 miles from the centre of Harish Pal's Palace, in the easternmost village of Ramganj, in the Rajpur district, there is a stupa known as "8 Harishpat". The name of the village and the local proverbs and ruins bear witness to the past glory of Harishchandra. Dr. Grierson, an

Archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, has conjectured that this stupa is the burial place of Harishchandra. “The stupa has been demolished and its contents removed, but a large section still exists on the upper part, enjoying the glory of its unique position in a vast plain."

Folk stories

The story of a king named Harishchandra or Harish Raja is recorded in Sahadeva Chakravarti's Dharshamangala. It describes the blasphemy of King Harichandra or Harish Raja, the king's going to the forest with his wife due to his inability to have a son, his apathy in the worship of gods and goddesses, the king's death due to thirst in the forest, the queen's conversion to religion, the king's rise to power due to the grace of religion, the birth of his son, Loichandra in the queen's womb on the wedding of Rakshash Dhartha. The beheading of Loichandra by the King and the Queen on the request of their

Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

. The cooking of the infants meat, the sacrifice of life of Loichandra on the request of the

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

etc. But later the Prince Loichandra came back to life by the boon of the

. Manik Ganguli's and Ghanram's

Dharmamangal The Dharmamangal () is an important subgenre of mangalkavya, with narratives of local deities of rural Bengal, the most significant genre of medieval Bengali literature. The texts belonging to this subgenre eulogize Dharmathakur, a folk deity worshi ...

also contains, the accounts of the sacrifice of sons for the sake of religion, however this subject is not mentioned in the Shunna Purana.

Kingdom of Sarveshwar

Map of the Sarveswar naagri 2025-05-25 001048

On the eastern bank of the Banshi river and Bhamsavati rivers, there was the city of Sarveshwar. Whose King was Raja Harishchandra. At that time, his kingdom was full of happiness and peace. Today's

is the ruin of this happy kingdom of Sarveshwar. According to some historians, the name of the capital of the Sarveshwar kingdom of the famous

scion Raja Harishchandra was ''Sarveshwar'', and the name ''Savar'' originated from the name ''Sambhar''. The Palace of Raja Harishchandra is buried under the ground in a neglected corner of Rajashan village, east of

. Around Rajashan, many almost extinct ponds, Buddhist architectural monuments such as gardens, canals, and ditches still stand as witnesses of time. The King's cantonment, Kothabari, is located north of

. Karnapara, named after one of King Harishchandra's queens, Karnavati, and Rajphulbaria, named after another queen, Phuleshwari, are located one mile south of

. The site was first excavated in 1918 by Dr. Nalinikanta Bhattasali, revealing artifacts linked to

and imitation

Gupta Dynasty The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

coins. He writes "

is a historical place, the traditional capital of Raja Harishchandra. It stands on the east bank of

Bangshi River The Bangshi (also spelt Bansi) () is an important river in central Bangladesh. "Bangshi" in Bengali, the language spoken in Bangladesh where the Bangshi River is located, translates to "Flute", meaning the river's name likely refers to its gentle, ...

which is branch of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

and falls into

Dhaleshwari The Dhaleshwari River ( , ''Dhôleshshori'') is a distributary, long, of the Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It branches off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District into a north branch that retains the name Dhaleshwari and m ...

at a place south of

Death

When the King of Kamarupa,

Dharmapala A ''dharmapāla'' is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "''dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of ...

, attacked the kingdom of Govindachandra, the son of Queen Mainamati of the Chandra dynasty of Bikrampur. Raja Harishchandra is believed to have fought alongside his son-in-law’s allied forces against

and was defeated. He is believed to have lost his life in the conflict.

Artifacts found

images of the artifacts recovered through excavation * The inscriptions of Savar File:Savar Inscription (no-1) 2025-05-24 232721.png, Inscription image of Harish Pala File:Harish pala Inscription 2025-05-24 122658.png, Second inscription image of Harish Pala * Artifacts recovered through excavation File:Brick adorned with a carved image of the Buddha (Savar) 2025-05-24 232856.png, Buddha image on brick (Savar) File:Buddha image made of brick (Savar) 2025-05-24 232912.png, Buddha image made of brick (Savar)

Genealogy

The two regions, Karnapara and Rajfulbariya, were named after King Harishchandra’s two wives, ''Karnabati'' and ''Fuleshwari'', respectively. As Raja Harishchandra Pal had no son, his nephew Damodar was adopted as a son and assumed responsibility for the Savar kingdom.

Relation with Chandra dynasty

According to the history of

and Patikara, the dynasty had marital relationship with the

. King Govindachandra of the Chandra dynasty was married to two daughters of King Harishchandra, Adhuna and Padhuna. In the folk song ''Mainamatir gaan'', there is also a reference to Harishchandra gave his daughter Adhuna in marriage to Govindachandra and also gave his second daughter, Padhuna, as part of the dowry.{{Cite book , last=Jana , first=Priya Nath , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEAtAQAAIAAJ&q=%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%20%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%20%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%20%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%20%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0 , title=Bangiya jibanikosha , date=1975 , publisher=Matrbhasa Parisad , pages=147 , language=bn

Gallery

File:Area of the Palace of Harishchandra.jpg, Harishchandra Palace view File:The full view of Raja Harish Chandra's Prashad.jpg, Palace of the King (ruin) File:রাজা হরিশচন্দ্রের প্রসাদের একাংশ.jpg, Palace view (destroyed) File:Palace of King Harishchandra Notice.jpg, Harishchandra Palace (Notice)

Reference

Pala, Kerala Bangladesh Kshatriya Pala Empire History of Bengal Buddhist dynasties of India Pala emperors Buddhist monarchs