The Buddhist universities of ancient India like Nalanda, Vikramshila, Somapura, Odantapura and others, were located in Kingdom of Bengal. This was no coincidence, for this great education system could only flourish here thanks to the patronage extended to it by the mighty Pala dynasty which ruled over Bengal and Bihar between the 8th -12th century CE. At their height the Palas controlled a vast empire covering parts of Nepal in the North to Bangladesh in the East and Bihar in the south. Their capital was the ancient city of Gaur, remains of which in India and Bangladesh as an international border cuts across it. The greatest ruler of the Pala dynasty was Dharmapala, who expanded the empire to its greatest extent and captured the imperial city of Kanauj.

Historian differs on when Dharmatala ascended the throne. RC Majumdar estimates his reign from 770 CE to 810 CE while DC Sircar estimates it to be from 775 CE – 812 CE. But what we do know is that soon after ascending the throne, Dharmapala had to face two formidable enemies, the Gurjara-Pratiharas of the West and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan, all of whom were trying to control Kanauj.

In the 8th century CE, Kanauj in present day Uttar Pradesh, was at the centre of the most vicious battles of the time. In the fray, for control over this once imperial capital of Harsha were 3 rulers pulling from different directions - the Gurjara-Pratiharas of the West, the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan and the Pala’s of Bengal. Known as the great tripartite struggle of the time, a brief victory here, led the then Pala king Dharmapala to declare himself the Lord of the North. This is the first reference to the king who would go on to leave a great mark - as the founder of some of the greatest universities in early medieval India.