king of Jurz (possibly the Gurjara-Pratiharas). He also states that the Pala army employed 10,000–15,000 men for fuelling and washing clothes. He further claims that during the battles, the Pala king would lead 50,000 war elephants. Sulaiman's accounts seem to be based on exaggerated reports; Ibn Khaldun mentions the number of elephants as 5,000. Since Bengal did not have a good native breed of horses, the Palas imported their cavalry horses from the foreigners, including the Kambojas. They also had a navy, used for both mercantile and defence purposes. See also Middle kingdoms of India Nalanda Vikramashila Somapura Mahavihara Jagaddala Mahavihara Odantapuri Kurkihar hoard Sources The main sources of information about the Pala empire include: Pala accounts Various epigraphs, coins, sculptures and architecture Ramacharita, a Sanskrit work by Abhinanda (9th century) Ramacharitam, a Sanskrit epic by Sandhyakar Nandi (12th century) Subhasita Ratnakosa, a Sanskrit compilation by Vidyakara (towards the end of the Pala rule) Other accounts Silsiltut-Tauarikh by the Arab merchant Suleiman (951 CE), who referred to the Pala kingdom as Ruhmi or Rahma Dpal dus khyi 'khor lo'i chos bskor gyi byung khungs nyer mkh (History of Buddhism in India) by Taranatha (1608), contains a few traditional legends and hearsays about the Pala rule Ain-i-Akbari by Abu'l-Fazl (16th-century) References Bibliography Craven, Roy C., Indian Art: A Concise History, 1987, Thames & Hudson (Praeger in USA), Harle, J. C., The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press. (Pelican History of Art), History of Bengal Former empires in Asia Kingdoms of Bihar 750 establishments 8th-century establishments in India 12th-century disestablishments in India Empires and kingdoms of Nepal 8th-century establishments in Nepal 12th-century disestablishments in Nepal Buddhist dynasties of India