BlissKetoSupplement: correct article based on references

2026-03-13T06:17:13Z

correct article based on references

imported>Pedantic Parsifal: Included clarification of an earlier edit

2021-08-31T16:36:35Z

Included clarification of an earlier edit

New page

{{infobox family
| name = Pal পাল
| coat of arms =
| country =
| parent house = [[Pala Empire|Pala dynasty]]
| titles = {{unbulleted list
|[[Raja]]
|[[Dewan]]
|[[Rai Bahadur]]
|[[Chowdhury]]
}}
| styles =
| founder = Kalidas Pal
| final ruler = Ramjivan Pal
| current head =
| founded =
| early_forms = Pala
| deposition =
| cadet branches = Chowdhurys of Bahadurpur
| region = [[Panchakhanda]]
| origin =
| members =
| otherfamilies =
| distinctions =
| traditions =
| heirlooms =
| estate = Palbari, [[Beanibazar]]
| meaning = "Protector" ([[Sanskrit]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Moor|first=Edward|authorlink=Edward Moor|title=Oriental Fragments|url=https://archive.org/details/orientalfragmen00moorgoog|year=1834|publisher=Smith, Elder and Co.|location=Cornhill, London|page=[https://archive.org/details/orientalfragmen00moorgoog/page/n145 139]}}</ref>
| footnotes =
}}

The '''Pal family''' ({{lang-bn|পাল বংশ}}; also spelt '''Pala''' and occasionally '''Paal''') are a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] aristocratic family who had formerly held lands in what is now [[Sylhet region|Sylhet]], [[Bangladesh]].

==History==
{{external media
| float = right
| width = 270px
| image1 = [https://52banglatv.com/files/uploads/2018/06/pic-3-1.jpg Front view of the Pal palace] The Pal palace (locally known as the "Palbari") is located near the municipal town of Beanibazar and is presently in a dilapidated condition.<ref name=News>{{cite news|last=খালেদ|first=শিমুল|date=2018-06-06|script-title=bn:পাল রাজার প্রাসাদে|url=https://52banglatv.com/2018/06/658/#prettyPhoto|work=52 Bangla TV|language=bn|access-date=2020-03-23}}</ref>
}}
{{Bengal Zamindars series}}

Among the most ancient clans in their region, the Pals trace their descent from a branch of the imperial [[Pala Empire|Pala dynasty]] of Bengal, claiming [[Mahipala|Mahipala I]] as their ancestor, though it is not possible to ascertain the accuracy of this. Their line became established in Sylhet when one Kalidas Pal acquired land in [[Panchakhanda]] (in what is now [[Beanibazar Upazila|Beanibazar sub-district]]),<ref>{{cite book|last=Barua|first=Bharati|title=Glimpses into Religion in Kamarupa during the Reign of Kumara Bhaskaravarman : A study on Contemporary Evidences|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDVuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Panchakhanda+pargana+within+Beanibazar+thana+of+Sylhet+now+in+Bangladesh%22&dq=%22Panchakhanda+pargana+within+Beanibazar+thana+of+Sylhet+now+in+Bangladesh%22|series=Proceedings of North East India History Association|year=1991|publisher=North East India History Association|page=129}}</ref> with the estate becoming hereditary among his descendants. The Pals initially ruled their territory as feudal monarchs, styling themselves with the royal title ''[[Raja]]''.<ref name=Choudhury144>{{cite wikisource|title=Srihattar Itibritta: Uttarrangsho|wslink=পাতা:শ্রীহট্টের_ইতিবৃত্ত_-_উত্তরাংশ.pdf/১|last=Choudhury|first=Achyut Charan|authorlink=Achyut Charan Choudhury|pages=144–45|year=1917|publisher=Kotha|edition=first|location=Kolkata|wslanguage=bn}}</ref> In the 7th century [[Bengali calendars|BS]] ({{circa|1200}}s [[Gregorian calendar|CE]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.banglatext.com/bangla-date-converter.html|last=Islam|first=Jahedul|title=Bangla Date Converter|website=BanglaText|publisher=BanglaText|access-date=March 25, 2020}}</ref> the Pal palace and the large ''dighi'' (reservoir) it sits beside were constructed by Kalidas's great-grandson, Varanasi Pal.<ref name=News/><ref>{{cite wikisource|title=প্রতিভা|wslink=পাতা:প্রতিভা_(বর্ষ_৪)_-_অবিনাশচন্দ্র_মজুমদার.pdf/১৩৭|last=মজুমদার|first=অবিনাশচন্দ্র|page=129|year=1914|publisher=ঢাকা সাহিত্য পরিষৎ|location=Dhaka|wslanguage=bn}}</ref> However, three generations later, during the reign of Ramjivan Pal, the kingdom lost its independence, coming under the suzerainty of the [[Bengal Sultanate|Muslim rulers of Bengal]].<ref name=Choudhury144/><ref>{{harvtxt|Choudhury|1917|p=385}}</ref>

In spite of this reduction in status, the family enjoyed considerable renown and success as private landowners. Under Pal governance, their territory (previously scarcely inhabited) was significantly developed and cultivated, allowing the migration of groups such as the [[Mahimal]]s (who were led by their two [[Sardar]]s Raghai and Basai) into the area.{{NoteTag|Mahimals subsequently maintained a presence in the region into modern times.<ref name=Choudhury144/>}} Successive members of the family became notable for their construction of ''dighi'' as well as their religious contributions, both through support of [[Brahman]]s as well as construction.<ref name=Choudhury144/> One younger son, Pratap Chandra Pal, converted to [[Islam]] under the name "Prachanda Khan" and established his own separate territory, with his heirs becoming prominent landowners themselves.{{NoteTag|Among his descendants are the Muslim Chowdhurys of Bahadurpur, also in Beanibazar.<ref name=ali>{{cite book|last=Ali|first=Syed Murtaza|authorlink=Syed Murtaza Ali|title=Amadera kalera katha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ExFXAAAAMAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Baighara|page=27|language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Choudhury|1917|p=174}}</ref>}} The general preeminence of the Pal line is displayed in a proverb recorded by the historians [[Achyut Charan Choudhury]] and [[Syed Murtaza Ali]]:<ref name=Choudhury173>{{harvtxt|Choudhury|1917|p=173}}</ref><ref name=ali/>

{{quote|পাল, প্রচণ্ড, জাংদার।
এই তিন মিরাশদার। ''Pal, Prôchôṇḍô, Jangdar. Ei tin mirashdar''}}
Translated, this means "Pal, Prachanda, Jangdar. These are the three ''mirashdars''." Thus, making reference to the Pals, the descendants of Prachanda Khan and the unrelated Jangdar clan, the proverb states that there were no other ''mirashdars''{{NoteTag|''Mirashdar'' is a term referring to a landowner who pays taxes directly to the government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Laskar|first=Nitish Ranjan|title=Mahishya Das of Cachar and their Social Background|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NjRuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Mirashdar,+he+being+a+land+holder+in+his+own+right+and+paying+revenue+direct+to+the+Govt%22&dq=%22Mirashdar,+he+being+a+land+holder+in+his+own+right+and+paying+revenue+direct+to+the+Govt%22|series=Proceedings of North East India History Association|year=1985|publisher=North East India History Association|page=456}}</ref>}} beyond these families in the locality.<ref name=Choudhury173/>

The influence of the Pals continued into the [[British Raj|British era]], with [[Munshi]] Hari Krishna Pal serving as [[Dewan]] to the [[District magistrate|District Collector]] of Sylhet. Krishnatay Dewanji, his younger brother, had the title ''[[Rai Bahadur]]'' awarded to him by the ruling government.<ref name=Choudhury144/> The latter's son, Krishna Kishore Pal Chowdhury, founded the ''Bihani Bazar'' (Morning Market), from which the town of Beanibazar (now expanded into the [[Beanibazar Upazila|sub-district]]) derives its name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beanibazar.sylhet.gov.bd/site/page/330bf992-0757-11e7-a6c5-286ed488c766/বিয়ানীবাজার%20উপজেলার%20পটভূমি|script-title=bn:উপজেলার পটভূমি|website=Beanibazar Upazila|publisher=Bangladesh National Portal|language=bn|date=2020-01-13|access-date=2020-01-14}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Nidhanpur copperplate inscription]], Panchakhanda

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Bengal Zamindars}}
{{Nobility of the Raj}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pal Family}}
[[Category:History of Bengal]]
[[Category:Asian noble families]]
[[Category:Bengali families]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi society]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi families]]
[[Category:People from Beanibazar Upazila]]
[[Category:Indian families]]
[[Category:Hindu families]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi Hindus]]

Pal family - Revision history

BlissKetoSupplement: correct article based on references

imported>Pedantic Parsifal: Included clarification of an earlier edit