Sena dynasty

Sena Empire সেন সাম্রাজ্য Shen Sāmrājya
← CE 1070–CE 1230 →
Capital		Nabadwip
Languages		Sanskrit Bengali
Religion		Hinduism Buddhism
Government		Monarchy
King
-	1070–1096 AD	Hemanta Sen
-	1159–1179 AD	Ballal Sen
-	1225–1230 AD	Keshab Sen
Historical era		Classical India
-	Established	CE 1070
-	Disestablished	CE 1230

Part of a series on the
History of Bengal
Ancient Bengal
Vedic Period
Ancient Bengali States Gangaridai Kingdom, Vanga Kingdom, Pundra Kingdom, Suhma Kingdom, Anga Kingdom, Harikela Kingdom
Mauryan Period
Classical Bengal
The Classical Age
Shashanka
Age of Empires Pala Empire Candra Dynasty Sena Empire
Medieval Bengal
Arrival of Islam Sultanate of Bengal Deva Kingdom Bakhtiyar Khilji, Raja Ganesha
Mughal Period Pratap Aditya, Raja Sitaram Ray Principality of Bengal Baro-Bhuyans
Modern Bengal
Company Raj Zamindari system, Bengal famine of 1770
British Indian Empire Bengal Renaissance Brahmo Samaj Swami Vivekananda, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose
Post-Colonial 1947 Partition of Bengal, Bangladesh Liberation War Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Jyoti Basu
See Also
Bangladesh, West Bengal

The Sena Empire (Bengali: সেন সাম্রাজ্য, Shen Sāmrājya) was a Hindu dynasty that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent.

The dynasty's founder was Hemanta Sen, who was part of the Pala Dynasty until it began to weaken. Hemanta Sen usurped power and styled himself king in 1095 AD. His successor Vijay Sen (ruled from 1096 AD to 1159 AD) helped lay the foundations of the dynasty, and had an unusually long reign of over 60 years. Ballal Sena conquered Gaur from the Pala, became the ruler of the Bengal Delta, and made Nabadwip the capital as well. Lakshman Sen succeeded Ballal Sena in 1179, ruled Bengal for approximately 20 years, and expanded the Sena Empire to Assam, Odisha, Bihar and probably to Varanasi. In 1203–1204 AD, the Turkic general Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Nabadwip. Khilji defeated Lakshman Sen and captured northwest Bengal - although Eastern Bengal remained under Sena control.

Origins

The Sena rulers were Hindus. During this period, Buddhism, which had dominated Bengal for centuries, was in decline, due to the loss of Buddhist institutions at Nalanda University and Vikramshila University.^[1] The sena rulers were originally from karnataka and were kannada speaking this is evident from deopara inscription.^[2]

Inscription

Edilpur Copperplate

A copperplate was found in the Adilpur or Edilpur pargana of Faridpur District in 1838 A.D. and was acquired by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, but now the copperplate is missing from collection. An account of the copperplate was published in the Dacca Review and Epigraphic Indica. The copperplate inscription is written in Sanskrit and in Ganda character, and dated 3rd jyaistha of 1136 samval, or 1079 A.D. In the Asiatic Society’s proceeding for January 1838, an account of the copperplate states that three villages were given to a Brahman in the third year of Kaesava Sana. The grant was given with the landlord rights, which include the power of punishing the chandrabhandas or Sundarbans, a race that lived in the forest.^[3] The land was granted in the village of Leliya in the Kumaratalaka mandala, which is situated in shatata-padamavati-visaya. The copperplate of Kaesava Sana records that the king Vallal Sena carried away, from the enemies, the goddesses of fortune on palanquins (Shivaka), which elephant tusk staff supported; and also states that Vallal Sena's son, Lakshman Sena (1179–1205), erected pillars of victory and sacrificial posts at Benaras, Allahbad, and Adon Coast of the South Sea. The copperplate also describes the villages with smooth fields growing excellent paddy, the dancing and music in ancient Bengal, and ladies adorned with blooming flowers. The Edilpur copperplate of Kaesava Sena records that the king made a grant in favor of Nitipathaka Isvaradeva Sarman for the inscae of the subha-varsha.

Society

The Sena dynasty is famous for building Hindu temples and monasteries, which include the renowned Dhakeshwari Temple in what is now Dhaka, Bangladesh. In Kashmir, the dynasty also likely built a temple, which is ascribed to a Gaureshwara or Ballala Sena.^[4] The Sena rulers were also great patrons of literature. During the Pala dynasty and the Sena dynasty, major growth in Bengali was witnessed. Some Bengali authors believe that Jayadeva, the famous Sanskrit poet and author of Gita Govinda, was one of the Pancharatnas (five gems) in the court of Lakshman Sen. After the Sena dynasty, the Deva dynasty ruled in eastern Bengal. The Deva dynasty was probably the last independent Hindu dynasty of Bengal.

The Sena rulers consolidated the caste system in Bengal. Although Bengal borrowed from the caste system of Mithila, caste was not so strong in Bengal as in Mithila.^[5]

The Sen rulers

• Hemanta Sen (1070–1096 AD)
• Vijay Sen (1096–1159 AD)
• Ballal Sen (1159–1179 AD)
• Lakshman Sen (1179–1206 AD)
• Vishwarup Sen (1206–1225 AD)
• Keshab Sen (1225–1230 AD)

See also

• Pala Empire
• History of Bengal
• History of India
• Edilpur Copperplate

References

Early History of India 3rd and revised edition by Vincent A Smith

External links

• Banglapedia Sena Dynasty