Eastern Indian dynasty whose historical heartland was in
Bihar but whose primary dominion also included much of modern-day Bengal
(8th–12th centuries).
At the start of the ninth century, the Pala dynasty was at
its pinnacle, controlling the whole northern Indian plain all the way to the
Punjab area.
The Palas were swiftly displaced by the Gurjara-Pratihara
dynasty, who ruled Bengal and Bihar for another many centuries.
The Sena dynasty gradually conquered their Bengal region,
and the Palas were finally conquered by the Gahadavalas in the mid-twelfth
century.
The Palas and Senas are both known for a kind of sculpture
in which the pictures are carved out of black chlorite schist that has been
polished to a mirror shine.
