Pala Empire: Bengal's Buddhist Golden Age of Art and Learning

Before the Mughals and the British, Bengal was home to the Pala Empire — a Buddhist dynasty that, between the 8th and 12th centuries, turned the region into a powerhouse of art, philosophy, and trade. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Pala rulers' patronage of the famous Nalanda and Vikramashila universities, the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to Tibet and Southeast Asia, and the exquisite Pala stone and bronze sculptures that still inspire artists today. They discuss Emperor Dharmapala's expansion, the rivalry with the Gurjara-Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the eventual decline under the Sena dynasty. They also touch on the Pala influence on Bengali language and the unusual fact that several Pala kings were crowned with the title 'Devaputra' — son of the gods. It is a story of a golden age that laid the foundation for Bengal's later cultural identity.

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