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Sena dynasty
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The Sena dynasty (Bengali ??? Shen) ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. They were called Brahma-Kshatriyas, as evidenced through their surname, which is derived from the Sanskrit, for "army".
The Senas originally belonged to the Karnata country (Karnatadeshatagata) in South India, the Kannada or Kanarese speaking region in modern Mysore, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh of India, and they were Brahma-Ksatriyas (those who were Brahmanas first and became Ksatriyas afterwards).
The dynasty's founder was Hemanta Sen, who was part of the Pala Dynasty until their empire began to weaken.
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The Sena dynasty (Bengali ??? Shen) ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. They were called Brahma-Kshatriyas, as evidenced through their surname, which is derived from the Sanskrit, for "army".
The Senas originally belonged to the Karnata country (Karnatadeshatagata) in South India, the Kannada or Kanarese speaking region in modern Mysore, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh of India, and they were Brahma-Ksatriyas (those who were Brahmanas first and became Ksatriyas afterwards).
The dynasty's founder was Hemanta Sen, who was part of the Pala Dynasty until their empire began to weaken. He 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 Gour from the Pala and expanded his empire. Lakshman Sen succeeded Ballal Sen in 1179 and ruled Bengal from Nabadwip for approximately 20 years. It was during the rule of Lakshman Sen that the caste system was enforced again.
In 1203-1204 AD, the Turkish general Muhammed Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Nabadwip. Though he defeated Lakshman Sen, he failed to conquer Bengal.
The Sena rulers were Hindus. During this period, the Buddhism that had dominated Bengal for centuries was in decline due to the loss of its institutions at Nalanada, Vikramshila etc.
(see Islam in Bangladesh). The dynasty is famous for building Hindu temples and monasteries including the famous Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Sena Dynasty were also great patrons of literature. During the rule of Pala Dynasty and Sena Dynasty, major growth of Bengali was witnessed. The famous poet of Bengal, Jayadeva, was one of the Pancharatnas (meaning 5 gems) in the court of Lakshman Sen. The Gita Govinda, one of the finest literary works in Sanskrit, was composed by Jayadeva.
After the Sena Dynasty, the Deva Dynasty, ruled in eastern part of Bengal. The Deva Dynasty was probably the last independent Hindu dynasty of Bengal.
The Sen rulers
- Hemanta Sen (1070 AD)
- Vijay Sen (1096-1159 AD)
- Ballal Sen (1159 - 1179 AD)
- Lakshman Sen (1179 - 1206 AD)
- Vishvarup Sen (1206 - 1225 AD)
- Keshab Sen (1225-1230 AD)
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