Senas of Bengal | |||||||||||||||
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1070 CE–1230 CE | |||||||||||||||
Capital | Gauda, Bikrampur, Nabadwip, Lakhnauti | ||||||||||||||
Common languages | Sanskrit, Bengali | ||||||||||||||
Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||
Maharajadhiraja | |||||||||||||||
• 1070–1095 CE | Samanta Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1095–1096 CE | Hemanta Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1096–1159 CE | Vijaya Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1159–1179 CE | Ballala Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1179–1204 CE | Lakshmana Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1204–1225 CE | Vishvarupa Sena | ||||||||||||||
• 1225–1230 CE | Keshava Sena | ||||||||||||||
• | Surya Sena[2] | ||||||||||||||
• | Narayana Sena[2] | ||||||||||||||
• | Laksmana Sena ।।[2] | ||||||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Kingdoms of India | ||||||||||||||
• Established | 1070 CE | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1230 CE | ||||||||||||||
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Sena dynasty 1070 CE–1230 CE | ||||||||||||||
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The Sena dynasty was a Hindu dynasty during the early medieval period on the Indian subcontinent, that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries.[3] The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent. The rulers of the Sena Dynasty traced their origin to the south Indian region of Karnataka.[4]
The dynasty's founder was Samanta Sena. After him came Hemanta Sena, who usurped power and styled himself king in 1095 AD. His successor Vijaya Sena (ruled from 1096 AD to 1159 AD) helped lay the foundations of the dynasty and had an unusually long reign of over 60 years. Ballala Sena conquered Gaur from the Pala, became the ruler of the Bengal Delta, and made Nadia the capital as well. Ballala Sena married Ramadevi a princess of the Western Chalukya Empire which indicates that the Sena rulers maintained close social contact with south India.[5] Lakshmana Sena succeeded Ballala Sena in 1179, ruled Bengal for approximately 20 years, and expanded the Sena dynasty to Odisha, possibly up to Varanasi. In 1203–1204 AD, Bakhtiyar Khalji, a general under the Ghurid Empire, attacked and captured the capital City of Nadia. The detailed account of this invasion is given in Tabaqat-i-Nasiri.[6]