The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s6.10

v1.c19.s6.10

As in the earlier Gupta, so in the later Sena period, the actual work of measurement was done by means of nalas or reeds, varying in length from region to region. The land-grants of Sena kings reveal that there were at least four varieties of nalas in use within their kingdom. These were the Samaṭaṭīya-nala, which was used as a standard of land-measure not merely in Samaṭaṭa but also in the Khāḍī-vishaya of the Puṇḍravardhana-bhukti (Barrackpur Plate of Vijayasena); the vṛishabha-śaṅkara-nala, probably introduced by king Vijayasena (vṛishabha-śaṅkara being one of his appellations), and employed to measure land in Uttara-Rāḍhā of the Vardhamāna-bhukti (Naihāṭi Plate of Vallālasena) and Vyāghraṭaṭī situated within Puṇḍravardhana-bhukti (Ānuliā Plate of Lakshmaṇasena); the nala current in Varendrī (tatratya-deśa-vyavahāra-nalena, Tarpandighi Plate of Lakshmaṇasena); and lastly the nala of 56 cubits said to have been in vogue at Vetaḍḍa-chaturaka in Paśchima-khāṭikā belonging to the Vardhamāna-bhukti (Govindapur Plate of Lakshmaṇasena).²