SANDHYAKARA NANDI. Nandi and his father Prajāpati Nandi. The author was not only a poet, but a linguist. As Rāmapāla was Rama, so the poet calls himself Kalikäla Vālmīki. The manuscript is written in Bengali character of the twelfth century, the commentary though written a few years later was written The scribe and the script. in the same character. Both are written in a bold and beautiful hand, the commentary is clearer than the text A comparison with the dated Bengali MSS. of the 12th century, of which there are two available, leaves little doubt that the present MS. belongs to the same century. The scribe to the text was Silacan- dra, who, from his name, appears to have been a Buddhist by faith. But unfortunate- ly he did not know Sanskrit. He wrote as he saw. He makes mistakes which a little knowledge of Sanskrit might have avoided. He often omits verses and portions of verses. In the commented portions these omissions have been supplied from the com- mentary, but in the uncommented portion they remain as they are. The importance of this work for the history of Bengal in the first half of the twelfth, and the second half of the eleventh century can Unique historical work. not be overrated. It is a contemporary record though obscured by double en tendre, and such records are so rare for India, and especially for eastern portion of it, that it may be pronounced as unique. In the introduction I have attempted to write a connected history of the Palas of Bengal from their election as kings in about 770 A.D. The introduction. to the end of Madanpala's reign which comes close upon 1119, the starting-point of the era of the Sena kings of Bengal. 2 The task of editing Ramapalacarita from one single MS., and of writing the history of the Palas from the meagre records available, is a very difficult task, and I am fully aware of the imperfections. I hope, however, my readers will look upon the work with in- dulgence. I have but very rarely used the Bengal and Tibetan traditions, but I have made full use of the literary treasures of this period examined in Nepal. INTRODUCTION. The Palas in their inscriptions do not claim descent from any mythical beings and Their first progenitor is He is described as Sarva- Who the Palas were. even from the Ksatriya race. Dayita Vişnu, a Hindu name. vidyāvadāta, sanctified by all sorts of knowledge. He was not even a military man. His son was a soldier of fortune who seems to have played an important part in the troublous times which followed the fall of the king of Gauda at the hands of Yaso- varma Deva, the king of Kanauj, about 730 A.D. In the Ramacarita the Palas are said to have been descended from the Ocean god. The Bengal tradition, as embodied in the Kanurpala of Ghanarama's Dharma- mangala, describes how the Ocean God came in the guise of Dharmapala to his banished wife, Vallabha, and so a son was born to the king. This means that Devapala was the son 1 Stein's Introduction to Rajatarańgini, p. 49; and Gouda Vaho.
