The middle kingdoms of India were the political entities in the Indian subcontinent from 230 BCE to 1206 CE. The period begins after the decline of the Maurya Empire and the corresponding rise of the Satavahana dynasty, starting with Simuka, from 230 BCE. The "middle" period lasted for almost 1436 years and ended in 1206 CE, with the rise of the Delhi Sultanate, founded in 1206, and the end of the Later Cholas.
The Pāla Empire was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffix Pāla. The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla as the emperor of Gauda in late eighth century CE. The Pala stronghold was located in Bengal and eastern Bihar, which included the major cities of Gauḍa, Vikramapura, Pāṭaliputra, Monghyr, Somapura, Ramavati (Varendra), Tāmralipta and Jagaddala.
Shashanka was the first independent king of a unified polity in the Bengal region, called the Gauda Kingdom. He reigned in the 7th century, some historians place his rule between c. 600 and 636/7 CE, whereas other sources place his reign between 590 and 625 CE.
Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh.
The Kamboja-Pala dynasty ruled parts of Bengal in the 10th to 11th centuries CE, after invading the Palas during the reign of Gopala II. The last Kamboja ruler of the Kamboja-Pala Dynasty Dharmapala was defeated by the south Indian Emperor Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the 11th century.
Gopala was the founder of the Pala dynasty, which was based in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. The last morpheme of his name Pala means "protector" and was used as an ending for the names of all the Pala monarchs. Pala does not suggest or indicate any ethnic or caste considerations of the Pala dynasty. He came to power in later half of eighth century AD in Gaur/Gaud after being elected by a group of regional chieftains.
Dharmapala was the second ruler of the Pala Empire of Bengal region in the Indian subcontinent. He was the son and successor of Gopala, the founder of the Pala Dynasty. Dharmapala was mentioned as the great king of Vangala in the Nesari plates of Rashtrakuta dynasty. He greatly expanded the boundaries of the empire, and made the Palas a dominant power in the northern and eastern India.
Lokkhon Sen or Lakshman Sena was the ruler from the Sen dynasty of the Bengal region on the Indian subcontinent. His rule lasted for 28 years.
Ballāla Sena or Ballal Sen, also known as Ballal Sen in vernacular literature, was the second ruler of the Sena dynasty of Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. He was the son and successor of Vijaya Sena, and ended the Pala Empire by defeating Govinda Pala.
Deva Dynasty was a Bengali Hindu Kayastha dynasty which originated in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent; the dynasty ruled over eastern Bengal after the Sena dynasty. The capital of the dynasty was Bikrampur in present-day Munshiganj District of Bangladesh.
Baidya or Vaidya is a Bengali Hindu community located in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. A caste (jāti) of Ayurvedic physicians, the Baidyas have long had pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks were drawn primarily, but not exclusively, from these three upper castes, who continue to maintain a collective hegemony in West Bengal.
The Gauḍa kingdom was a kingdom during the Classical era in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the Gauda region of Bengal in 4th century CE or possibly earlier.
Bengali Kayastha is a Bengali Hindu caste originated from the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent, and is one of the main subgroups of the Kayastha community. The historical caste occupation of Kayasthas throughout India has been that of scribes, administrators, ministers and record-keepers; the Kayasthas in Bengal, along with Brahmins and Baidyas, are regarded among the three traditional higher castes that comprise the "upper layer of Hindu society". During the British Raj, the Bhadraloks of Bengal were drawn primarily, but not exclusively, from these three castes, who continue to maintain a collective hegemony in West Bengal.
The Varendra rebellion was the revolt against King Mahipala II led by Kaivarta chieftain Divya (Dibyak), a feudal lord of Northern Bengal. The Kaivartas were able to capture Varendra by this rebellion. The revolt might have been the first peasant revolt in Indian history. However, the first phase of the revolt would more appropriately be described as a rebellion of feudal lords (samantas), who would have mobilized the peasants, and the last phase of the revolt was a spontaneous mass uprising.
Kulinism or Kulin Pratha is a practice that envisages an elite position within the varna/jati configuration, derived from spiritual and ritual purity. Upper castes in Bengal were divided into exogamous classes, with ritual status determined by lineage purity and family marital history, with Kulins having the highest status. The Kulagranthas or Kulapanjikas are the foundational narrative of kulinism in Bengal, detailing its development over centuries and focusing on kulina lineages and social interaction norms. The Kulapanjikas state that King Ballal Sena initiated Kulinism, which conferred titles of nobility upon the Brahmanas, Kayasthas, and Vaidyas in Bengal. According to texts, King Adisura invited Brahmins to settle in the region from Kanauj and designated them higher in social status. The texts further state that King Ballal Sena introduced kulinism, designating certain lineages of Brahmins and Kayasthas with higher social status due to superior virtues and practices; This system further extended to Baidya jatis, not associated with Kanauj migration. It appears to have started among the Baidyas with attributes like riches, education, good actions, etc., which were standardised by Samajapatis, Kulapanjikaras, and Ghatakus, as suggested by Sircar. Lakshmana Sena, the son and heir of Ballala Sena, is said to have made additional changes and controls to the establishment of kulinism. It is worth noting that the accounts of Kulpanjis in connection to kulinism are viewed with suspicion and have largely been accepted as unhistorical by scholars.
The Pahcimbhag copperplate inscription, Srichandra Paschimbhag copperplate inscription or simply Chandrapur inscription is a copperplate inscription issued in 935 by Srichandra, the second king of the Chandra Dynasty of south-east Bengal. The inscription was discovered in the village of Paschimbhag, Moulvibazar district. It is one of 12 known copperplate inscriptions by Chandra Dynasty kings. The inscription is mainly a deed of donation, in which Srichandra grants lands for many Brahmins and for nine monasteries in the Sylhet region, which formed Chandrapur University, named after Srichandra. It includes a detailed description of the Chandra kingdom and the Palas and Kamboja Pala rulers of Bengal and refers to the society of pre-medieval Bengal.
The Varman Dynasty was a Hindu Yadava dynasty of Indian subcontinent which ruled Bengal, and later East Bihar (Anga). The Varmans established their supremacy after replacing the Chandra Dynasty. Their capital was at Bikrampur in present-day Munshiganj District of Bangladesh.
Umapati Dhara was the chief minister in the court of Lakshmana Sena . and one of the court poets of Lakshmana Sena. Several Prashasti like the Deopara Prashasti, a stone inscription eulogizing the Sena kings of Bengal was written by him. He is one of the Pancharatna in the court of Lakshmana Sena. Jayadeva was the middle jewel of this Pancharatna. The identity of these four Kavibandhus of Jayadeva might have been lost forever if the poet Jayadeva had not mentioned their names and poetic qualities in 'Gita Govinda' However, earlier Lakshmanasena's court poet, Batudas's son Sridhardas, has compiled Saduktikarnamrita by including many verses of these four poets, he saved their poetry from oblivion. According to Jayadeva, Umapati Dhar's characteristic of writing was to enrich the words and sentences. His famous works were the Deoparaprashasti and the Madhainagar copper plates He also wrote a book Chandrachudacharita, in Sanskrit, which has not been found.
Deopara Prashasti described the founder of Sena dynasty Samanthasena, as a migrant Brahmaksatriya from Karnataka. The epithet 'Brahma-Kshatriya' suggests that Senas were Brahmins by caste who took the profession of arms and became Kshatriyas. The Sena kings were also probably Baidyas, according to historian P.N. Chopra.
