Home Region:  Eastern India (South Asia)

Sena Dynasty

1095 CE 1245 CE

SC EC OTHER  bd_sena_dyn

Displayed: 1099 CE








ℹ️



1099111411291144115911751190120512201235


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Preceding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

No General Descriptions provided.

General Variables
Identity and Location
Temporal Bounds
Political and Cultural Relations
Language
Religion
Social Complexity Variables
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Human Sacrifice Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequences Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Sena Dynasty (bd_sena_dyn) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location
Temporal Bounds
Political and Cultural Relations
Language
Religion

Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Polity Territory:
-
[1095, 1245]

Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy:
-
[1095, 1245]

Religious Level:
-
[1095, 1245]

Military Level:
-
[1095, 1245]

Administrative Level:
-
[1095, 1245]

Professions
Source Of Support:
state salary
[1095, 1245]
Source Of Support:
land
[1095, 1245]

Bureaucracy Characteristics
Full Time Bureaucrat:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Irrigation System:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Food Storage Site:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Drinking Water Supply System:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Utilitarian Public Building:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Symbolic Building:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Special Purpose House:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Transport Infrastructure
Port:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Canal:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Special-purpose Sites
Special Purpose Site:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Enclosure:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Ceremonial Site:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Information / Writing System
Written Record:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Script:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Phonetic Alphabetic Writing:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Scientific Literature:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Philosophy:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Fiction:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Calendar:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Information / Money
Token:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Precious Metal:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Store Of Wealth:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Debt And Credit Structure:
Present
[1095, 1245]

Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Length Measurement System:
Unknown
[1095, 1245]
Length Measurement System:
Absent
[1095, 1245]

Area Measurement System:
Unknown
[1095, 1245]
Area Measurement System:
Absent
[1095, 1245]


Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Luxury Goods
[1095, 1245]
Luxury Precious Metal: Inferred Present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present
Consumption by Elite: Inferred Present

Inferred from use of precious metal in creation of statuary; likely used for other luxury goods as well. “General Features of the Pala and Sena Sculptures. Generally speaking, the sculptures of the Pala and Sena epochs are carved out of black-stone (kashti-pathar), either fine or coarse-grained [outlined as being black steatite in Zimmer and Campbell 1990: 110]. The metal images are, however, case in brass or in octo-alloy (ashta-dhatu). One or two images of gold and silver have also come down to us, and wood carvings also are not unknown”. [Majumdar 1943, p. 535] “Bengal was primarily a rural country and a beautiful descripion of its countryside is given in the Radmacharita. But even in ancient times there were a number of towns and important commercial centres which were abodes of wealth and luxury {supra, p. 340). The description of Ramavati and Vijayapura, the capital cities of the Palas and Senas, by two contemporary poets, in spite of obvious poetic exaggerations, gives us a vivid picture of the wealthy cities of ancient Bengal. Such towns contained wide roads and symmetrical rows of palatial buildings, towering high and surmounted by golden pitchers on the top. The temples, monasteries, public parks and large tanks, bordered by rockery and tall palm-trees, added to the beauty and amenities of town-life. These towns, as in all ages and countries, were the homes of all shades of peoples ; the plain, simple, virtuous and religious, as well as the vicious and the luxurious. Luxuries were chiefly manifested in fine clothes, jewellery, palatial buildings, costly furniture, and sumptuous feasts. Abundant supply of food, far beyond the needs and even capacity of invited guests, was characteristic of these feasts in ancient, as in modern Bengal.” [Majumdar 1971, p. 464]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Manufactured Goods: Present
Place(s) of Provenance: inferred present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present

“Bengal was primarily a rural country and a beautiful descripion of its countryside is given in the Radmacharita. But even in ancient times there were a number of towns and important commercial centres which were abodes of wealth and luxury {supra, p. 340). The description of Ramavati and Vijayapura, the capital cities of the Palas and Senas, by two contemporary poets, in spite of obvious poetic exaggerations, gives us a vivid picture of the wealthy cities of ancient Bengal. Such towns contained wide roads and symmetrical rows of palatial buildings, towering high and surmounted by golden pitchers on the top. The temples, monasteries, public parks and large tanks, bordered by rockery and tall palm-trees, added to the beauty and amenities of town-life. These towns, as in all ages and countries, were the homes of all shades of peoples ; the plain, simple, virtuous and religious, as well as the vicious and the luxurious. Luxuries were chiefly manifested in fine clothes, jewellery, palatial buildings, costly furniture, and sumptuous feasts. Abundant supply of food, far beyond the needs and even capacity of invited guests, was characteristic of these feasts in ancient, as in modern Bengal.” [Majumdar 1971, p. 464]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Food: Present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present
Consumption by Elite: Inferred Present

“Bengal was primarily a rural country and a beautiful descripion of its countryside is given in the Radmacharita. But even in ancient times there were a number of towns and important commercial centres which were abodes of wealth and luxury {supra, p. 340). The description of Ramavati and Vijayapura, the capital cities of the Palas and Senas, by two contemporary poets, in spite of obvious poetic exaggerations, gives us a vivid picture of the wealthy cities of ancient Bengal. Such towns contained wide roads and symmetrical rows of palatial buildings, towering high and surmounted by golden pitchers on the top. The temples, monasteries, public parks and large tanks, bordered by rockery and tall palm-trees, added to the beauty and amenities of town-life. These towns, as in all ages and countries, were the homes of all shades of peoples ; the plain, simple, virtuous and religious, as well as the vicious and the luxurious. Luxuries were chiefly manifested in fine clothes, jewellery, palatial buildings, costly furniture, and sumptuous feasts. Abundant supply of food, far beyond the needs and even capacity of invited guests, was characteristic of these feasts in ancient, as in modern Bengal.” [Majumdar 1971, p. 464]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Fabrics: Present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present
Consumption by Elite: Inferred Present

“Bengal was primarily a rural country and a beautiful descripion of its countryside is given in the Radmacharita. But even in ancient times there were a number of towns and important commercial centres which were abodes of wealth and luxury {supra, p. 340). The description of Ramavati and Vijayapura, the capital cities of the Palas and Senas, by two contemporary poets, in spite of obvious poetic exaggerations, gives us a vivid picture of the wealthy cities of ancient Bengal. Such towns contained wide roads and symmetrical rows of palatial buildings, towering high and surmounted by golden pitchers on the top. The temples, monasteries, public parks and large tanks, bordered by rockery and tall palm-trees, added to the beauty and amenities of town-life. These towns, as in all ages and countries, were the homes of all shades of peoples ; the plain, simple, virtuous and religious, as well as the vicious and the luxurious. Luxuries were chiefly manifested in fine clothes, jewellery, palatial buildings, costly furniture, and sumptuous feasts. Abundant supply of food, far beyond the needs and even capacity of invited guests, was characteristic of these feasts in ancient, as in modern Bengal.” [Majumdar 1971, p. 464]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Drink/Alcohol: Present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present
Consumption by Elite: Inferred Present

“Bengal was primarily a rural country and a beautiful descripion of its countryside is given in the Radmacharita. But even in ancient times there were a number of towns and important commercial centres which were abodes of wealth and luxury {supra, p. 340). The description of Ramavati and Vijayapura, the capital cities of the Palas and Senas, by two contemporary poets, in spite of obvious poetic exaggerations, gives us a vivid picture of the wealthy cities of ancient Bengal. Such towns contained wide roads and symmetrical rows of palatial buildings, towering high and surmounted by golden pitchers on the top. The temples, monasteries, public parks and large tanks, bordered by rockery and tall palm-trees, added to the beauty and amenities of town-life. These towns, as in all ages and countries, were the homes of all shades of peoples ; the plain, simple, virtuous and religious, as well as the vicious and the luxurious. Luxuries were chiefly manifested in fine clothes, jewellery, palatial buildings, costly furniture, and sumptuous feasts. Abundant supply of food, far beyond the needs and even capacity of invited guests, was characteristic of these feasts in ancient, as in modern Bengal.” [Majumdar 1971, p. 464]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Statuary: Present
Consumption by Ruler: Inferred Present
Consumption by Elite: Inferred Present

“This relief [a tenth century sculpture of Ganga from Isvaripur (Jessore)] compares very favourably with the sensuous representation of the same goddess, fished out of the Deopara tank and now in the Rajshahi Museum, belonging to the late Sena period (Pl. LXXVI. 179)”. [Majumdar 1943, p. 462] “Sociological Background of Pala and Sena Sculpture…There was a change in the attitude of the court during the reign of the Senas. They seem to have developed a rather pompous and luxurious court-life and with it a highly sophisticated and high-brow aesthetic taste, that delighted in over-sensitiveness of form and gestures, a sensuous worldliness and meticulous details of ornamentation. This is reflected in the high-flown and rich ornamental Sanskrit that developed in the Sena court as well as in the art of the period”. [Majumdar 1943, p. 533] “They [the Senas] helped to revive Sanskrit literature, but at this epoch religious life was saturated with a luxurious worldliness, so that poetry as well as sculpture occasionally seemed to have satisfied the aesthetic taste of the royal patron, as for instance that of Vijayasena. In spite of the religious subject matter, the art of the Sena dynasty belongs to the world and to the court and is replete with sensuousness”. [Kramrisch 0, p. 209] “It is obvious that only those who could afford to pay the artist, and defray the expenses of materials for the making of the image and its installation for purposes of worship, had the privilege of enjoying the luxury of earning religious merit. This presupposes a prosperous lay community that obeyed the requirements of the cult or cults they belonged to”. [NB: should this be noted under the ‘common people’ rather than ‘elite’ category?]. [Majumdar 1943, p. 533] “The chief factors that created this art of Bengal for four centuries are thus 1) the court; 2) and 3) the cults and their votaries who belonged to prosperous communities with evidently a comparatively higher standard of living; and 4) the artists who in groups and guilds formed a section of the people not generally considered sufficiently respectable. Evidently enough, these chief factors have hardly any room for the people at large. This art, then, was the art of the higher classes, of the dominant groups of the contemporary socio-economic order, and we have hardly any evidence during these centuries of the art of the common people”. [Majumdar 1943, pp. 534-535]


[1095, 1245]
Luxury Precious Stone: Inferred Present

Inferred from use of precious stone in creation of statuary; likely used for other luxury goods as well. “General Features of the Pala and Sena Sculptures. Generally speaking, the sculptures of the Pala and Sena epochs are carved out of black-stone (kashti-pathar), either fine or coarse-grained [outlined as being black steatite in Zimmer and Campbell 1990: 110]. The metal images are, however, case in brass or in octo-alloy (ashta-dhatu). One or two images of gold and silver have also come down to us, and wood carvings also are not unknown”. [Majumdar 1943, p. 535]



Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
Coding in Progress.
Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions
Coding in Progress.