The Kaivarta rebellion was an important agrarian and social uprising in early medieval Bengal, particularly associated with the reign of the Pala ruler Mahipala II in the late eleventh century. It provides valuable evidence about tensions between the ruling dynasty, local landed groups, and agrarian communities in the period between c.750 and 1206. The rebellion is mainly known from Sandhyakar Nandi’s Sanskrit historical poem, the *Ramacharitam*, which describes the conflict and the eventual restoration of Pala authority by Ramapala. The Kaivartas were a community associated traditionally with fishing, cultivation, and other occupations connected with rivers and wetlands. By the eleventh century, some Kaivarta leaders had acquired considerable local influence and control over land and agrarian resources. Their rise illustrates the growing importance of local chiefs and landed groups in the political structure of early medieval Bengal. The region of Varendra, situated in northern Bengal, became the principal centre of the rebellion. The immediate political background was the weakening of Pala authority. After the death of strong rulers such as Devapala, the Pala kingdom