[7] Based on the different interpretations of the various epigraphs and historical records, the different historians estimate Devapala's reign as follows:[8]: 32–37 [9] Badal Pillar inscription of a later Pala king Narayanapala states that Devpala's empire extended up to the Vindhyas, the Himalayas, and the two oceans (presumably the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal).
It also claims that Devapala exterminated the Utkalas (present-day Orissa), conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam), shattered the pride of the Hunas, humbled the lords of Gurjara and the Dravidas.
[10][11] These claims are exaggerated, but cannot be dismissed entirely: the neighbouring kingdoms of Rashtrakutas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas were weak at the time, and may have been subdued by Devapala.
[6][12] Devapala launched military campaigns under his cousin and his general Jayapala, who was the son of Dharmapala's younger brother Vakpala.
There is nothing impossible as the Tibetan sources claim that their kings Khri-srong-lda-btsan and his son Mu-teg-btsan-po subdued India and forced Dharmapāla to submit.
Buton Rinchen Drub credits his father Dharmapala for building the monastery, although other Tibetan accounts such as that of Taranatha, state that it was magically built and then entrusted to Devapala.
[15] King Devapala granted five villages were Nandivanāka, Maņivāțaka, Națikā, Hasti and Pālāmaka to Nalanda University.
His contributions include founding major monastic centers such as Somapura, Vikramaśīla, and Odantāpura, along with numerous Buddhist monuments in eastern India.
[15][4] Archaeological excavations at Paharpur in the Rajshahi district have confirmed that the ruins there are indeed those of the renowned Somapura-vihara, founded by Devapala.
[31] Devapala's exploits—both verified and legendary—inspired the Bengali campaign in Dynasties of India, the 2022 expansion pack for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.