The features of Pala sculptures were developed from the late Gupta period style. However at a later stage the Pala style drifted away from its origin and developed its own style, known as the Pala School of Sculptural Art. Gradually the Pala School of Sculptural Art developed their separate identity.

Not only the sculptural element but the basic features of the Pala School of Sculptural Art were also modified on the model of the Gupta style. The new style integrated a number of attributes that were common to the native Bengali sculpture and architecture. Most of the sculptures that have been discovered in Bangladesh and West Bengal have been carved out of Rajmahal black basalt stone. The 11th century artists have made these lifeless figures come alive on stone. The bronze sculptures also flourished simultaneously in the 10th to 12th centuries.

Most of the sculptures in the Pala Empire were used for religious purposes. Hence these sculptures were built in such a way so that they could stand the rough weather. The sculptures of the deities were carved out of fine grained black stones. Such sculptures have been discovered in all over Bengal. However towards the 10th century a local school of sculptural art developed. During this era the artists had to work within certain limitations and they followed the established canons. Yet these artists were successful in separating their art from the early Pala period. In fact it is recorded that during the reign of kings Devapala and Dharmapala an artist named Dhiman and his son Bitapala resided in Varendra. It is this father son duo who established the two schools of Pala art.

An interesting change is noted in the way the contours of the main deity are carved out of the black stone. This process turns the aureole into `prabhamandala` (halo). This method rendered a completely new artistic dimension to the Pala School of Sculptural Art.

The twelfth century sculptures have the soft, half-timid, sharp, amiable features that are prototypes of the Bengali style.