Who among the following founded the Pala dynasty in 8 th Century CE?

Correct — B. Gopala founded the Pala dynasty in Bengal in the later eighth century CE, conventionally around 750.

What makes him unusual is how he came to power. The Pala record says he was elected by the chiefs of Gauda to end a long spell of lawlessness, rather than inheriting or conquering a throne.

The other three names are all later Palas — Dharmapala was Gopala's own son and successor → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Dharmapala — Dharmapala (about 774-806 CE) was Gopala's son and successor. He pushed the kingdom deep into northern India and founded the Vikramashila monastery, but he did not found the dynasty.
• (c)
  Devapala — Devapala (about 806-845 CE) was Dharmapala's son and the most powerful of the Palas, ruling at the dynasty's territorial peak — two generations after its founding.
• (d)
  Ramapala — Ramapala ruled in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, more than three hundred years after Gopala. He is remembered for recovering Varendra after the Kaivarta revolt.

The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar from the middle of the eighth century into the twelfth, the longest-lasting of the early medieval eastern dynasties.

They were Buddhist patrons at a time when royal patronage elsewhere was moving towards Puranic Hinduism. That is why Nalanda continued to function under them and why Vikramashila and Odantapuri were built.

The dynasty is also the eastern leg of the tripartite struggle for Kannauj, fought through the eighth and ninth centuries against the Gurjara-Pratiharas of the west and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan.

Key facts

• Gopala founded the Pala dynasty in the later eighth century CE, traditionally dated around 750.
• The Pala tradition records that Gopala was elected by the chiefs of Gauda rather than inheriting the throne.
• Dharmapala, Gopala's son, founded the Vikramashila monastery-university.
• The Palas were Buddhist patrons and fought the tripartite struggle for Kannauj against the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas.

Common traps

• Marking Dharmapala because he is the better-known Pala. Fame is not founding.
• Assuming Ramapala is early because the name resembles the founder's. He belongs to the dynasty's last revival.
• Placing the Palas in the Deccan. Their base was Gauda, in Bengal.

No directly related past PYQ was found.