View source for Deva dynasty

{{for|the [[Saketa]] rulers|Deva dynasty (Saketa)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox Former Country
|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = Deva dynasty
|common_name = Deva dynasty
|era         = [[Medieval India]]
|status      = 
|event_start = 
|year_start  = 12th century
|date_start  = 
|event1      = 
|date_event1 = 
|event_end   = 
|year_end    = 13th century
|date_end    = 
|p1          = Sena dynasty
|flag_p1     = 
|p2          = 
|flag_p2     = 
|s1          = Delhi Sultanate
|flag_s1     = 
|image_flag  = 
|flag_type   = 
|image_coat  = 
|image_map   = 
|image_map_caption = 
|capital           = [[Bikrampur]]
|common_languages  = [[Sanskrit]]<br />[[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|religion          = Hinduism
|government_type   = Monarchy
|leader1           = 
|year_leader1      = 
|leader2           = 
|year_leader2      = 
|leader3           = 
|year_leader3      =
|title_leader      = [[Maharaja]]
|legislature       = 
|}}
{{History of Bengal}}
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}
'''Deva Dynasty''' (c. 12th – 13th centuries) was a [[Hindu]] 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]].

This Hindu [[Vaishnava]] dynasty is different from an earlier Buddhist Dabnyawatti dynasty (c. 8th-9th centuries) of [[Samatata]], whose capital was Danyawatti. Four rulers of this dynasty are known from the inscriptions: Shantideva, Viradeva, Anandadeva and Bhavadeva. The rule of the Devas was indeed a period of peace, prosperity, and creative excellence, and may be designated as the "Golden Age". 

==Rulers==
The major sources of the history of this dynasty are the three copperplate inscriptions of Damodaradeva issued in years 1156, 1158 and 1165 of the [[Saka era]], which were his 4th, 6th and 13th [[regnal year]]s. Although there are many myths about this dynasty, none were proved with strong evidence. The first three rulers are known from the Chittagong copperplate inscription of Damodaradeva dated Saka era 1165. The first ruler of this dynasty was Purushottamadeva, who rose from the position of a village chief (''gramani''). His son Madhumathana or Madhusudanadeva was the first independent ruler of this dynasty, who assumed the title of ''nripati''. He was succeeded by his son Vasudeva and Vasudeva was succeeded by his son Damodaradeva. Damodaradeva (reigned 1231–1243) was the most powerful ruler of this dynasty. He took the title of ''Ariraja-Chanura-Madhava-Sakala-Bhupati-Chakravarti''. The inscriptional evidences show that his kingdom was extended up to the present-day [[Comilla District|Comilla]]-[[Noakhali district|Noakhali]]-[[Chittagong District|Chittagong]] region. A later ruler of this dynasty ''Ariraja-Danuja-Madhava'' [[Dasharathadeva]] extended his kingdom up to [[Bikrampur]] and made it his capital.<ref>Roy, Niharranjan (1993). ''Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba'' Calcutta: Dey's Publishing, {{ISBN|81-7079-270-3}}, pp.408-9</ref> He issued an inscription from here.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} [[Yahya bin Ahmad Sirhindi|Yahya bin Ahmad]] in his ''Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi'' mentioned that he (referred as [[Danuj Rai]] of Sonargaon by Yahya) made an alliance with [[Ghiyas ud din Balban|Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban]] in 1281.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Majumdar |editor1-first=Ramesh Chandra |editor1-link=R. C. Majumdar |editor2-last=Pusalker |editor2-first=A. D. |editor3-last=Majumdar |editor3-first=A. K. |date=1960 |title=[[The History and Culture of the Indian People]] |volume=VI: The Delhi Sultanate |location=Bombay |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |page=622 |quote="Yahyā, the historian of the fifteenth century, mentions ... When Ghiyās-ud-din Balban proceeded to Bengal  ... he sought to enter into an alliance with the Hindu king of Eastern Bengal, Rāi Danuj."}}</ref> His brother Bikramaditya Deva later moved to the eastern side of the kingdom in 1294. This is the last recorded history of this dynasty.

==See also==
* [[Pala Empire]]
* [[History of Bengal]]
* [[History of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
  | title = Bengal dynasty
  | years =
  | before = [[Sena dynasty]]
  | after = [[Mamluk dynasty of Delhi|Mamluk dynasty]]
}}
{{s-end}}

[[Category:Dynasties of Bengal]]
[[Category:Dynasties of India]]
[[Category:Hindu dynasties]]
[[Category:Historical Hindu empires]]
[[Category:History of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:History of Bengal]]
[[Category:Medieval India]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 11th century]]


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