Palas: Cultural Aspects

The Pala dynasty ruled over the Bihar and Bengal region from the 8th to the 12th century. Beyond being astute diplomats and military conquerors, the Pala rulers were also great patrons of art and architecture, and the distinctive new style of art that developed under their patronage came to be known as Pala art. This article examines the Pala contribution to sculpture, terracotta figurines, painting, and architecture — an important cultural theme for UPSC History Optional aspirants.

The Pala arts can be discussed under the following heads:

• Sculpture
• Terracotta figurines
• Paintings
• Architecture

Sculpture

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• The Pala school of sculptural art is recognised as a distinct phase of Indian art, noted for the artistic genius of Bengal sculptors.
  • A new style of both stone and bronze sculpture emerged during the Pala period.
  • The main propounders of this school were Dhiman and Vitapala, contemporaries of Dharmapala and Devapala respectively.

Bronze Sculpture

• Bronze was cast using the cire perdue (“lost-wax”) method, and the sculptures are generally heavily ornamented.
  • The Buddhist centres of Kurkihar and Nalanda were the main centres of production; at Nalanda, bronze-casting appears to have formed part of the academic curriculum.
• The themes of Pala bronze sculpture are largely Buddhist, though a few Brahmanical images showing Tantric influence — such as those of Ganga, Balarama (also from Kurkihar), Vishnu, and Surya — have also been recovered from Nalanda.
  • The bronze images from Nalanda and Kurkihar mostly portray the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, including Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Maitreya, and Vajrapani, along with other Buddhist deities such as Jambhala, Hayagriva, Tara, Prajnaparamita, Vasudhara, Hariti, and Parnashavari.
• The Buddha is represented in two principal forms:
  • standing, with the right hand held in the varada (blessing) or abhaya (poise) mudra; and
  • seated, in the bhumisparsha (enlightenment) or dharmachakra mudra (first sermon).
• Examples:
  • The Standing Buddha from Nalanda, with the right hand in abhaya mudra, is one of the finest pieces of bronze sculpture in the Eastern School, notable for its dignity, convincing modelling, and inner poise.
  • The Standing Tara from Nalanda.
  • Balarama, a bronze sculpture from Kurkihar.

Stone Sculpture

• Stone sculptures were also elegant in style, technically precise, with a hard outline reminiscent of metalwork. Their main characteristics were:
  • mostly carved from black basalt stone, readily available in the hills of the Santhal Pargana region and Munger district;
  • generally, only the front of the body was carefully rendered, with the rear of the images rarely built up artistically;
  • most images depict gods and goddesses, especially Bodhisattvas, with important events from the life of the Buddha particularly favoured as subjects; and
  • Brahmanical deities such as Vishnu and Shiva, as well as Jain sculptures, are also found, though in comparatively smaller numbers.
• All these images are excellent and exhibit the maturity of the artist, particularly in craftsmanship, with ornamental decoration making them all the more attractive.

Limitations

• Pala sculpture has been criticised for lacking originality.
  • It lacks the simple aesthetic sense easily found in Gupta sculpture; images are heavily adorned with ornaments, giving them a somewhat artificial appearance.
  • Even in images of gods and goddesses, an attempt has been made to interpose human beauty.
  • Tantric influences are also evident, on account of which the female body has often been intertwined in poses that exhibit apparent sensuousness.

Terracotta Figurines

• Terracotta images of this period are artistic and charming.
  • Some noteworthy examples have been recovered from the remains of Vikramashila Mahavihara; such figurines were made to adorn walls, depicting scenes both from religion and from day-to-day life.
  • On the basis of these images, the living standards, dress, and activities of ordinary people of this period can be reconstructed.
• Alongside images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, figures of Vishnu, Varaha, Surya, Hanuman, and Ardhanarishvara show the continuing influence of Hindu religion.
• Artistic beauty is particularly evident in a terracotta figure of a seated lady, holding a mirror in one hand to admire her own beauty, while applying vermilion to her forehead with the fingers of the other.
  • Her body has been beautified not only through ornamentation, but also through the innocence of her face, her slender waist, and prominent bust.

Paintings

Paintings of the Pala period survive in two forms:

1. Manuscript Painting
2. Mural Painting

Manuscript Painting

• Painted manuscripts were generally written on palm leaves.
  • Examples (now preserved at Cambridge University) include the Ashtasahasrika, Prajnaparamita, and Panchraksha.
  • Around one hundred miniature pictures are found upon these manuscripts, depicting not only various scenes from the Buddha’s life but also gods and goddesses of the Mahayana sect in various poses.
• Colours used include:
  • primary colours such as red, white, blue, and black; and
  • secondary colours such as green, violet, light pink, and grey.
• Painting of the Pala period perpetuates the tradition of Ajanta painting, with a sensuous bias distinctive to Eastern India.
  • The Pala school of painting is characterised by delicate and nervous lines, sensuous elegance, and a linear and decorative accent.
  • The impact of Tantric art on these paintings is easily visible, and they sometimes resemble qualities found in Nepalese and Burmese art.

Mural or Wall Painting

• Mural painting has been found at Sarai Sthal, Nalanda.
  • At the bottom of a platform made of granite stone, flowers of geometrical shapes, and images of animals and humans, remain noticeable even after fading.
  • Certain images of elephants, horses, dancers, and Bodhisattvas, among others, can still be discerned.
• The impact of Ajanta and Bagh cave painting is easily noticeable, as the manner of composing images and the style of painting are almost identical.

Architecture

• The Pala kings also contributed significantly to the field of architecture.
  • Structures were mostly built of brick, though some also used stone.
  • Pala architecture was strongly influenced by religion, especially Buddhism (given that the Pala rulers were themselves Buddhist followers), alongside Hindu temples.

Monastery (Vihara) Architecture

• The most important examples of Buddhist architecture in the Pala period appear in the context of the monastery — these viharas were originally built as residences for monks, serving also an academic function.
  • The Palas built Buddhist viharas and temples at Nalanda, Vikramashila, Odantapuri, and Sompura, among others, with different architectural styles adopted for different viharas.
• Odantapuri Monastery, built by Devapala: this mahavihara was so significant that it served as a model for the first monastery built in Tibet.
• Vikramashila Monastery (the most important), built by Dharmapala: the most discussed and excellent among Pala monasteries, where ruins of a temple and a stupa have been found.
• Sompura Monastery (in present-day Bangladesh), built by Dharmapala (though this attribution is not entirely clear).

Temples

• Pala temples are known to express the local Vanga style.
  • Mahipala had hundreds of temples and buildings constructed at Kashi.
  • The Vishnupada temple at Gaya features a hemispherical mandapa resembling an umbrella.
  • The Shiva temple at Konch, in Gaya district, is architecturally important for its pinnacle and corbelled lattice window.
  • The rock-cut temple at Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur), dating from the 9th century, is notable for its gabled, vaulted roof, a feature characteristic of South Indian architecture.
  • The 9th-century Siddheshwara Mahadeva temple at Barakar, in Burdwan district, shows a tall, curving shikhara crowned by a large amalaka — an example of early Pala style.
  • Other examples are found at Surajgarha and Jaimangalgarh, among other sites.
• Many temples dating from the 9th to 12th century were located at Telkupi, in Purulia district, but were submerged when dams were built in the region — these were among the important examples of the architectural styles prevalent locally, showing an awareness of all the known Nagara sub-types current elsewhere in North India.
  • Nonetheless, several temples still survive in Purulia district that can be dated to this period, built using black-to-grey basalt and chlorite stone pillars and arched niches.
  • Many local vernacular building traditions of Bengal also influenced temple style in the region — most prominent among these was the shape of the curving or sloping side of the bamboo roof of a Bengali hut.

Other Constructions

• Rampal established a new town named Ramavati, building several structures and temples there.
  • Remains at Antichak, along with some buildings at Nalanda, exhibit the maturity of Pala architecture.
  • The Palas also built ponds adjoining chaityas and viharas.

Conclusion

Thus, through its accomplished sculpture, magnificent architecture, and distinctive painting — especially in manuscript form — the Pala era provided vital continuity to the growth of art and culture in eastern India, leaving behind a body of work that bridges the earlier traditions of Ajanta with a distinctly regional Bengali and Bihari aesthetic. This artistic legacy, spanning Buddhist and Hindu religious themes alike, makes the cultural contributions of the Pala dynasty an important topic for UPSC History Optional preparation.