Author:

Sriya Sarkar
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Department of History
University of North Bengal
Darjeeling, West Bengal,India

Email: shriyasarkar2222@gmail.com

Abstract::Abstract:The post-Gupta period, marked by features different from the ancient period, necessitated a
distinct chronological classification. As a result, the term ‘Early Medieval’ gained scholarly
acceptance to denote this transitional phase between the ancient and the medieval period. In the
context of Bengal, this phase began following the decline of the Gupta Empire, which was marked by
the rise of subregional kingships and localized centres of power. Following this, between the mid-8th
and mid-12th centuries, dynasties such as the Pālas and Candras extended their dominion, promoting
enhanced regional integration. The Pāla period represented a pivotal phase of transformation in state
formation, social organization, and economic development. These transformations manifested
differently across the sub-regions of Bengal, with this paper specifically focusing on the region of
Puṇḍravardhana, also known as Varendra, attesting to Northern Bengal. This paper seeks to examine
the evolving contours of the early medieval period, with particular emphasis on the wide-ranging
evidence derived from the Pāla inscriptions of northern Bengal. The study will specifically focus on
insights related to administrative hierarchies, socio-economic configurations, the physical landscape,
settlement patterns based on toponyms, and religious affiliations

Key Words::Puṇḍravardhana, Pāla inscriptions, Settlement toponyms, Social organisation etc.