Pal is a common surname found in India and Bangladesh. It is traditionally believed that 'Pal' originated from the Sanskrit pala meaning protector or keeper. It is also occasionally found in other countries.
History
The surname Pal is found in Bengal among Bengali Kayasthas. Historian Tej Ram Sharma mentions that the surname is "now confined to Kayasthas of Bengal" while referring to the names of Brahmins ending in such Kayastha surnames in the early inscriptions dating back to the Gupta period. Pal is also used as a surname by the Bengali Hindu Potters, and other castes Like Teli, Subarnabanik and Sadgop. The Pardhi, a hunter community of Maharashtra, is also known as Pal. The saint Gwalipa told Suraj Sen, the ruler of Gwalior, to adopt the surname Pal, which remains prevalent up to eighty-three descendants of Suraj Sen. The Ahirs in Central India use Pal as a surname. In imitation of Pal dynasty of Assam, the Chutiya also took the surname of Pal. Pal was also a popular surname among the ParmarRajput rulers of the Garhwal. Pal is a surname of the Thakuri people of Nepal. In Punjab and other states, Pal is often used as a middle name followed by Singh. The rulers of Kullu held the surname Pal up to about the 15th century A.D., which they later changed to Singh.
Bengalis
In Bengal, during the reign of the Gupta Empire beginning in the 4th century AD, when systematic and large-scale colonization by Aryan Kayasthas and Brahmins first took place, Kayasthas were brought over by the Guptas to help manage the affairs of state. During this period, the Kayasthas had not developed into a distinct caste, although the office of the Kayasthas had been instituted before the beginning of the period, as evidenced from the contemporary smritis. Tej Ram Sharma, an Indian historian, says that Historian André Wink states According to Radhey Shyam Chourasia, an Indian historian, the Palas do not trace their origin to any ancient hero. The dynasty is so called because the names of all kings had the termination - Pala. The family has no illustrious ancestry. Historian Guptajit Pathak believes that the Palas of Kamarupa, who had the same surname as the Palas of Bengal and Bihar, "were perhaps of non-Aryan origin". Several kings of the Pala dynasty were Buddhists. According to the Khalimpur Plate of Dharmapala, Gopala I, the founder of the dynasty, "was the son of a warrior Vapyata and the grandson of a highly educated Dayitavishnu". Unlike other contemporary dynasties, the Palas "do not claim descent from any mythological figure or epic hero". The Kamauly Copper Plate inscription suggests that Palas call themselves Kshatriyas belonging to Solar dynasty. "According to Manjusree Mulakalpa, Gopala I was a sudra and according to Abul Fazl, the Palas were Kayasthas." In Ramacharita, the Pala King Rampala is called Kshatriya but later in the same book Dharmapala is described as Samudrakula-dipa. Bagchi suggests that "the non-mention of caste may be a reason that the Palas were Buddhists and they were not supposed to mention their caste like the Brahmanical ruling dynasties", though they performed the duties and functions of Kshatriyas for about four centuries.
