Pāla dynasty

The last major dynasty (8th-12th century ce) of classical India, centred on the area covered by present-day Bihar and West Bengal and noteworthy for its range of brilliant intellectual and artistic achievements. During this period Mahāyāna Buddhism reached its zenith of sophistication, while tantric Buddhism flourished throughout India and surrounding lands. This was also a key period for the consolidation of the epistemological-logical (pramāṇa) school of Buddhist philosophy. Apart from the many foreign pilgrims who came to India at this time, especially from China and Tibet, there was a smaller but important flow of Indian pandits who made their way to Tibet and inaugurated the organized transmission of the Dharma.